Rapid advancements in train control and in-cab technologies provide significant opportunities for rail operators to improve efficiency and enhance their operations. New technologies often provide elegant solutions to existing problems or new capabilities for the operator. However, new technologies may also represent a significant form of risk. Thus, it is important to balance the potential for significant improvement with justifiable concern about how the technology may unpredictably change the nature of the work. If a technology is designed and implemented without considering the substantive human factors concerns, that technology may lead to unintended consequences that can introduce safety issues and disrupt network performance. It is important to note that even a well-designed and beneficial technology may be rejected by the users who see it as a threat to their jobs, status or working conditions. This book discusses the issues surrounding rail technology and introduces a 'toolkit' of human factors evaluation methods. The toolkit provides a practical and operationally focused set of methods that can be used by managers considering investing in technology, staff charged with implementing a technology, and consultants engaged to assist with the design and evaluation process. This toolkit can help to ensure that new rail technologies are thoughtfully designed, effectively implemented, and well received by users so that the significant investment associated with developing rail technologies is not wasted.

Survival and thriving in today's business environment require companies to continuously strive for operational excellence at all levels of the organization. Simply working to maintain existing operations is not an adequate or sustainable business strategy, especially when competing in a global market. To remain relevant, companies must adopt a process control and continuous improvement mentality as an integral part of their daily work activities. These two operational disciplines form the foundation and stepping stones for manufacturing excellence. Processes must be stable, capable, and controlled as a prerequisite for sustainable improvement. Sustainable improvements must be strategic, continuous, and focused on process optimization. Modern-day manufacturing is rapidly changing in the face of technological, geopolitical, social, and environmental developments. These challenges are altering the way we think and act to transform raw materials into finished goods. Meeting these challenges requires particular attention to how we develop and engage people and apply technology for long-term sustainability and competitive advantage. This book takes you on a journey to explore the fundamental elements, management practices, improvement methods, and future direction of shop floor management. Part 1 of this five-part manuscript considers workplace culture, organizational structure, operational discipline, and employee accountability as the foundation for a robust manufacturing system. Part 2 studies the impact of process standardization, data analytics, information sharing, communication, and people on daily shop floor management. Once the management system has been adequately described, Part 3 concentrates on its effective execution, monitoring, and control with a deep look into the people, methods, machines, materials, and environment that make it possible. Like every good manufacturing text, efficiency and productivity are key topics. That's why Part 4 explores various methods, tools, and techniques associated with product and process development, productivity improvement, agile methods, shop floor optimization, and manufacturing excellence. The final section, Part 5, shifts focus to emerging technologies, engaging the reader to contemplate technology's impact on the digital transformation of the manufacturing industry.

This book comprises the select peer-reviewed papers presented at the 7th Indian Young Geotechnical Engineers Conference (7IYGEC 2019) held at the National Institute of Technology, Silchar. It covers recent research developments in geotechnical engineering particularly in the fields of shallow and deep foundations, rock mechanics, ground improvement techniques, geotechnical earthquake engineering, and characterization of soil. The book also discusses several computational techniques to model behavior of soil which can be useful for future research. A special emphasis is given on geo-environmental engineering for making the world cleaner and safer to live. Given the contents, the book will be beneficial for students, researchers, and professionals working in geotechnical engineering and allied areas.

Automotive Technician Training is the definitive student textbook for automotive engineering. It covers all the theory and technology sections that students need to learn in order to pass levels 1, 2 and 3 automotive courses. It is recommended by the Institute of the Motor Industry and is ideal for courses and exams run by other awarding bodies. This revised edition overhauls the coverage of general skills and advanced diagnostic techniques, and includes a new chapter about electric and hybrid vehicles and advanced driver-assistance systems. Information and activities are set out in sequence to meet teacher and learner needs, as well as qualification requirements. The book has been written to be used on its own or as part of a blended-learning approach. It also includes links to interactive activities, assessments and video footage on the IMI eLearning platform, for which a separate subscription is required.

Many professionals and students in engineering, science, business, and other application fields need to develop Windows-based and web-enabled information systems to store and use data for decision support, without help from professional programmers. However, few books are available to train professionals and students who are not professional programmers to develop these information systems. Developing Windows-Based and Web-Enabled Information Systems fills this gap, providing a self-contained, easy-to-understand, and well-illustrated text that explores current concepts, methods, and software tools for developing Windows-based and web-enabled information systems. Written in an easily accessible style, the book details current concepts, methods, and software tools for Windows-based and web-enabled information systems that store and use data. It is self-contained with easy-to-understand small examples to walk through concepts and implementation details along with large-scale case studies. The book describes data modeling methods including entity-relationship modeling, relational modeling and normalization, and object-oriented data modeling, to develop data models of a database. The author covers how to use software tools in the Microsoft application development environment, including Microsoft Access, MySQL, SQL, Visual Studio, Visual Basic, VBA, HTML, and XML, to implement databases and develop Windows-based and web-enabled applications with the database, graphical user interface, and program components. The book takes you through the entire process of developing a computer and network application for an information system, highlighting concepts and operation details. In each chapter, small data examples are used to manually walk through concepts and operational details. These features and more give you the conceptual understanding and practical skill required, even if you don't have a computer science background, to develop Windows-based or web-enabled applications for your specialized information system.

This book describes a comprehensive selection of ocean processes such as wave phenomena (surface, internal gravitational, and acoustic waves), the influence of surfactants and pollutants on the aquatic environment's dynamics, the models of the stratified natural environment, convective phenomena in the ocean, and the interaction of wave and convective processes. Finally, this book dedicates the last section to unsolved problems in the physics of anomalous waves. Most of the chapters present the most hegemonic theories but also they introduce the revulsive ideas based on alternative approaches. The underlying mathematical models are scientifically justified both at the physical and formal mathematical levels. In all known limiting cases lead to well-known classical results. They are in good agreement with experimental data. Several sections show the application of developed approaches to the description of natural phenomena. The book is of interest to specialists working in the field of ocean physics, as well as undergraduate and graduate students specializing in marine physics and oceanography.

This book helps business leaders see how employees, companies, and missions all interact with each other, as well as with society at large, in systems and subsystems at various levels. It helps leaders learn how to connect the dots, becoming customer-centric in everything they do and then spreading the same goals down to their supply chains. The book discusses what is, and what is not, leadership, covering such topics as statistics-based management, process-improvement, and human resources. The author accomplishes this through a blend of Lean culture and managerial theory, as well as his military experience. In addition, the author contrasts many opposing subjects, such as efficiencies of scale versus efficiencies of build, automation versus process improvement, process innovation versus product innovation, technical versus tactical proficiency, and pull versus push production. With most books focused on Lean initiatives, there is a tremendous amount of benefit involved in creating customer value while reducing waste, but this book takes a holistic approach, blending in modern managerial theory, team leadership skills, and economics. The result is a book that changes how the reader approaches business. Essentially, the purpose of this book is to blend modern management theories with the culture of Lean (and perhaps a sprinkling of economics) to show current business leaders how to create organizations that are as customer-oriented and highly efficient in delivering value as possible. If one thinks of each role in an organization as a spot on an assembly line, where everything each person does creates output someone else uses, the question becomes whether or not each person's activities maximize the effectiveness of others. Do we, as organizations, set ourselves up for success or for failure? Most companies, if they answer honestly, would say, "A little bit of both." This book is about helping those companies improve.

The proposed title intends to provide a comprehensive view of emerging paradigms of computer science. The initial chapters will introduce various emerging paradigms and discuss research challenges related to them. Then some of the chapters will focus on the research solutions to address the identified challenges. The last few chapters will provide a discussion on future research directions.

Risk Management in the Oil and Gas Industry: Offshore and Onshore Concepts and Case Studies delivers the concepts, strategies and good practices of offshore and onshore safety engineering that are applicable to petroleum engineering and immediately surrounding industries. Guided by the strategic risk management line, this reference organizes steps in order of importance and priority that should be given to the themes in the practical exercise of risk management activities, from the conceptual and design phase to operational and crisis management situations. Each chapter is packed with practical case studies, lessons learned, exercises, and review questions. The reference also touches on the newest techniques, including liquefied natural gas (cryogenics) operations and computer simulations that contemplate the influence of human behavior. Critical for both the new and experienced engineer, this book gives the best didactic tool to perform operations safely and effectively.

Prevention of Actuator Emissions in the Oil and Gas Industry delivers a critical reference for oil and gas engineers and managers to get up-to-speed on all the factors in actuator fugitive emissions. Packed with a selection process, the benefits of switching to an electric system, and the technology around open and closed loop hydraulic systems helps today's engineer understand all their options. Rounding with a detailed explanation around High Integrity Pressure Protection Systems (HIPPS), this book gives provides the knowledge necessary to lower emissions on today's equipment.

Plasma methods that effectively combine ultraviolet radiation, active chemicals, and high electric fields offer an alternative to conventional water treatment methods. However, knowledge of the electric breakdown of liquids has not kept pace with this increasing interest, mostly due to the complexity of phenomena related to the plasma breakdown process. Plasma Discharge in Liquid: Water Treatment and Applications provides engineers and scientists with a fundamental understanding of the physical and chemical phenomena associated with plasma discharges in liquids, particularly in water. It also examines state-of-the-art plasma-assisted water treatment technologies. The Physics & Applications of Underwater Plasma Discharges The first part of the book describes the physical mechanism of pulsed electric breakdown in water and other liquids. It looks at how plasma is generated in liquids and discusses the electronic and bubble mechanism theories for how the electric discharge in liquid is initiated. The second part of the book focuses on various water treatment applications, including: Decontamination of volatile organic compounds and remediation of contaminated water Microorganism sterilization and other biological applications Cooling water treatment Drawing extensively on recent research, this one-stop reference combines the physics and applications of electric breakdown in liquids in a single volume. It offers a valuable resource for scientists, engineers, and students interested in the topic of plasmas in liquids.

Fracking and the Rhetoric of Place investigates the rhetorical strategies of speakers at public hearings on hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") in order to understand how places shape and are shaped by citizens as they engage in their democracy. As an important argumentative resource in environmental controversy, the rhetoric of place helps citizens situate themselves within local contexts and raise their voices in times of social conflict. Justin Mando uses rhetorical analysis, discourse analysis, and corpus analysis to offer scholars of place-based rhetoric and environmental communication a heuristic approach to studying their own sites. This approach reveals that place-based arguments are a ubiquitous rhetorical resource in the dispute over hydraulic fracturing that shapes how the issue is perceived. Pro-frackers and anti-frackers use rhetoric of place in striking ways that reveal their values, motivations, strengths, and weaknesses. Place functions as an interface of potential common ground that connects the local to the global, what is here to what is there. Scholars and students of rhetoric, communication, and environmental studies will find this book particularly interesting.

This book discusses molecular approaches in plant as response to environmental factors, such as variations in temperature, water availability, salinity, and metal stress. The book also covers the impact of increasing global population, urbanization, and industrialization on these molecular behaviors. It covers the natural tolerance mechanism which plants adopt to cope with adverse environments, as well as the novel molecular strategies for engineering the plants in human interest. This book will be of interest to researchers working on the impact of the changing environment on plant ecology, issues of crop yield, and nutrient quantity and quality in agricultural crops. The book will be of interest to researchers as well as policy makers in the environmental and agricultural domains.

A complete exploration of the health and well-being implications of access to natural daylight illumination and views to the outdoors. Makes the case that appropriately timed exposure to daylight is essential to our health and well-being, tied to the very genetic foundations of our physiology and cognitive function. Helps the reader appreciate the subtlety, beauty and pleasures of well-daylit spaces and attractive window views, and how these are woven into the fabric of our daily sensory experiences, and determined by the design of our buildings, cities, and cultural perspectives. Written to engage and challenge a variety of readers, including all forms of building and urban designers, plus anyone interested in human health and wellbeing, from medical researchers to the occupants of all types of buildings.

Authored by world-class scientists and scholars, The Handbook of Natural Resources, Second Edition, is an excellent reference for understanding the consequences of changing natural resources to the degradation of ecological integrity and the sustainability of life. Based on the content of the bestselling and CHOICE-awarded Encyclopedia of Natural Resources, this new edition demonstrates the major challenges that the society is facing for the sustainability of all well-being on the planet Earth. The experience, evidence, methods, and models used in studying natural resources are presented in six stand-alone volumes, arranged along the main systems of land, water, and air. It reviews state-of-the-art knowledge, highlights advances made in different areas, and provides guidance for the appropriate use of remote sensing and geospatial data with field-based measurements in the study of natural resources. Volume 6, Atmosphere and Climate, covers atmospheric pollution and the complexity of atmospheric systems and their interactions with human activity. As an excellent reference for fundamental information on air systems, the handbook includes coverage of acid rain and nitrogen deposition, air pollutants, elevated carbon dioxide, atmospheric circulation patterns, and climate change effects on polar regions and climatology. New in this edition are discussions on aerosols monitoring and mapping, greenhouse gases, the Greenland ice sheet, and mountainous regions. This book presents the key processes, methods, and models used in studying the impact of air pollution on ecosystems worldwide. Written in an easy-to-reference manner, The Handbook of Natural Resources, Second Edition, as individual volumes or as a complete set, is an essential reading for anyone looking for a deeper understanding of the science and management of natural resources. Public and private libraries, educational and research institutions, scientists, scholars, and resource managers will benefit enormously from this set. Individual volumes and chapters can also be used in a wide variety of both graduate and undergraduate courses in environmental science and natural science at different levels and disciplines, such as biology, geography, earth system science, and ecology.

Authored by world-class scientists and scholars, The Handbook of Natural Resources, Second Edition, is an excellent reference for understanding the consequences of changing natural resources to the degradation of ecological integrity and the sustainability of life. Based on the content of the bestselling and CHOICE-awarded Encyclopedia of Natural Resources, this new edition demonstrates the major challenges that the society is facing for the sustainability of all well-being on the planet Earth. The experience, evidence, methods, and models used in studying natural resources are presented in six stand-alone volumes, arranged along the main systems of land, water, and air. It reviews state-of-the-art knowledge, highlights advances made in different areas, and provides guidance for the appropriate use of remote sensing and geospatial data with field-based measurements in the study of natural resources. Volume 2, Landscape and Land Capacity, covers soils and landscape issues, their diversity and importance, and how soils are related to the landscapes in which they form. It includes discussions on land conservation, land-use and land-cover changes, and urban environments and unravels the complex bond between humans and soils. New in this edition are discussions on habitat conservation and planning, landscape epidemiology and vector-borne disease, and landscape patterns and changes. This volume demonstrates the key processes, methods, and models used through several practical case studies from around the world. Written in an easy-to-reference manner, The Handbook of Natural Resources, Second Edition, as individual volumes or as a complete set, is an essential reading for anyone looking for a deeper understanding of the science and management of natural resources. Public and private libraries, educational and research institutions, scientists, scholars, and resource managers will benefit enormously from this set. Individual volumes and chapters can also be used in a wide variety of both graduate and undergraduate courses in environmental science and natural science at different levels and disciplines, such as biology, geography, earth system science, and ecology.

This book presents novel hybrid encryption algorithms that possess many different characteristics. In particular, "Hybrid Encryption Algorithms over Wireless Communication Channels", examines encrypted image and video data for the purpose of secure wireless communications. A study of two different families of encryption schemes are introduced: namely, permutation-based and diffusion-based schemes. The objective of the book is to help the reader selecting the best suited scheme for the transmission of encrypted images and videos over wireless communications channels, with the aid of encryption and decryption quality metrics. This is achieved by applying number-theory based encryption algorithms, such as chaotic theory with different modes of operations, the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), and the RC6 in a pre-processing step in order to achieve the required permutation and diffusion. The Rubik's cube is used afterwards in order to maximize the number of permutations. Transmission of images and videos is vital in today's communications systems. Hence, an effective encryption and modulation schemes are a must. The author adopts Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), as the multicarrier transmission choice for wideband communications. For completeness, the author addresses the sensitivity of the encrypted data to the wireless channel impairments, and the effect of channel equalization on the received images and videos quality. Complete simulation experiments with MATLAB (R) codes are included. The book will help the reader obtain the required understanding for selecting the suitable encryption method that best fulfills the application requirements.

Covers the State of the Art in Superfluidity and Superconductivity Superfluid States of Matter addresses the phenomenon of superfluidity/superconductivity through an emergent, topologically protected constant of motion and covers topics developed over the past 20 years. The approach is based on the idea of separating universal classical-field superfluid properties of matter from the underlying system's "quanta." The text begins by deriving the general physical principles behind superfluidity/superconductivity within the classical-field framework and provides a deep understanding of all key aspects in terms of the dynamics and statistics of a classical-field system. It proceeds by explaining how this framework emerges in realistic quantum systems, with examples that include liquid helium, high-temperature superconductors, ultra-cold atomic bosons and fermions, and nuclear matter. The book also offers several powerful modern approaches to the subject, such as functional and path integrals. Comprised of 15 chapters, this text: Establishes the fundamental macroscopic properties of superfluids and superconductors within the paradigm of the classical matter field Deals with a single-component neutral matter field Considers fundamentals and properties of superconductors Describes new physics of superfluidity and superconductivity that arises in multicomponent systems Presents the quantum-field perspective on the conditions under which classical-field description is relevant in bosonic and fermionic systems Introduces the path integral formalism Shows how Feynman path integrals can be efficiently simulated with the worm algorithm Explains why nonsuperfluid (insulating) ground states of regular and disordered bosons occur under appropriate conditions Explores superfluid solids (supersolids) Discusses the rich dynamics of vortices and various aspects of superfluid turbulence at T 0 Provides account of BCS theory for the weakly interacting Fermi gas Highlights and analyzes the most crucial developments that has led to the current understanding of superfluidity and superconductivity Reviews the variety of superfluid and superconducting systems available today in nature and the laboratory, as well as the states that experimental realization is currently actively pursuing

This book highlights the significance of using sustainable energy to prevent the deterioration of our planet using heat pumps. Energy sustainability can be achieved through improved energy efficiency. In this regard, heat pumps offer an energy-efficient alternative for heating and cooling. To drive the adoption of heat pumps as a key component of sustainable buildings, the authors focus on examining sustainable practices in heat pump operations and innovative system design. In view of the growing desire to use sustainable energy to meet heating and cooling demands and improve indoor air quality, this book offers a valuable reference guide to the available options in HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning) system design. To begin with, the authors define sustainable energy and discuss the trend of "thinking green" in building design. They then discuss sustainable practices and heat pump applications in mapping out HVAC systems. In turn, they examine the use of green operations to promote sustainable practices and, in order to highlight the importance of innovative design, discuss the configuration options and precision control aspects. In closing, the authors illustrate innovative sustainable design on the basis of several energy-efficient cases. The book's main goal is to drive the adoption of sustainable energy solutions. Heat pumps, it argues, represent the most efficient system for meeting commercial/recreational/residential heating and cooling demands. The book not only examines industrial practices in heat pump application, but also discusses advanced heat pump technologies and innovative heat pump designs.

Energy Storage in Energy Markets reviews the modeling, design, analysis, optimization and impact of energy storage systems in energy markets in a way that is ideal for an audience of researchers and practitioners. The book provides deep insights on potential benefits and revenues, economic evaluation, investment challenges, risk analysis, technical requirements, and the impacts of energy storage integration. Heavily referenced and easily accessible to policymakers, developers, engineer, researchers and students alike, this comprehensive resource aims to fill the gap in the role of energy storage in pool/local energy/ancillary service markets and other multi-market commerce. Chapters elaborate on energy market fundamentals, operations, energy storage fundamentals, components, and the role and impact of storage systems on energy systems from different aspects, such as environmental, technical and economics, the role of storage devices in uncertainty handling in energy systems and their contributions in resiliency and reliability improvement.

Natural Resource Governance in Asia: From Collective Action to Resilience Thinking identifies key leverage points where interventions can be made surrounding current and future impacts of ongoing environmental and sociopolitical challenges. The book utilizes case studies from Asia, a key demographic for natural resource management, that can be applied globally in understanding solutions and the current state of knowledge in natural resource dynamics. Users will find valuable sections on community forestry and socioecological systems, community irrigation, competing water demand, robustness issues, climate change, and natural resource dynamics and challenges. This interdisciplinary tome on the topic is invaluable to researchers and policymakers alike.

Now in its third edition, Electricity for the Entertainment Electrician & Technician is a comprehensive, practical study guide for aspiring and working professionals in live event production. The book covers every aspect of power distribution from the fundamentals, like basic circuits, to 3-phase power, power calculations, grounding and bonding, electrical safety, portable power generators, and battery power. With ample photographs and illustrations, practice problems and solutions, and real-world examples from experience and first-hand accounts, it provides readers with the knowledge to safely design, set up, and monitor power distribution systems. The third edition expands on grounding and bonding, portable power generators, balanced and unbalanced 3-phase power calculations, battery power, and more. The last chapter walks readers through the process of prepping for a show, setting up a portable power distribution system, and monitoring every aspect of the system, including voltage, current, and heat using an infrared camera, explaining in detail best practices and the logic behind them. Covering topics that are listed in the content outline for the ETCP Entertainment Electrician Certification exam as well as the ETCP Portable Power Distribution Technician Certification exam, this reference supports practicing technicians and provides new technicians the assistance they need for a successful career in the entertainment industry. Additional resources, including conversion tables, voltage spreadsheets, articles from Lighting & Sound International, Lighting & Sound America, and Protocol, and animations and illustrations depicting electricity and electric power distribution developed for the author's workshops, can be found on the companion website www.electrics.tech.

In the past decade, the field of physics has witnessed renewed advances in physical systems without mirror (parity) symmetry. Experimentally, chiral magnetic skyrmions discovered in real materials have stirred a great deal of interest in future spintronic applications due to their nanoscale size, topological protection, and energy efficiency. Theoretically, the Hall viscosity, a new universal transport coefficient, through the progress in hydrodynamics has triggered extensive theoretical investigation in quantum Hall systems. This book provides an extensive account of skyrmion dynamics, using various analytical tools, especially the field theory Ward identity that is a first principle method using symmetries and the associated conservation equations. The identity revealed that Hall viscosity is a universal part of skyrmion motion. This book leads readers to frontline research in searching for the role of the mysterious Hall viscosity in skyrmion physics, using the interdisciplinary point of view that encompasses high-energy physics, condensed matter, and materials science. It also provides the necessary backgrounds and physical clarity for advanced undergraduates to meaningfully explore its contents through mathematical expressions conveyed in both vector and index notations.

Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Technology: Principles and Applications consists of the construction and working details of all modern additive manufacturing and 3D-printing technology processes and machines, while also including the fundamentals, for a well-rounded educational experience. The book is written to help the reader understand the fundamentals of the systems. This book provides a selection of additive manufacturing techniques suitable for near-term application with enough technical background to understand the domain, its applicability, and to consider variations to suit technical and organizational constraints. It highlights new innovative 3D-printing systems, presents a view of 4D printing, and promotes a vision of additive manufacturing and applications toward modern manufacturing engineering practices. With the block diagrams, self-explanatory figures, chapter exercises, and photographs of lab-developed prototypes, along with case studies, this new textbook will be useful to students studying courses in Mechanical, Production, Design, Mechatronics, and Electrical Engineering.

Eco-Art Therapy in Practice is uplifting, optimistic, and empowering while outlining cost-effective, time efficient, and research-based steps on how to use nature in session to enhance client engagement and outcomes. Dr. Pike employs her background and credentials as a certified educational leader and board-certified art therapist to walk readers through establishing ecologically-based practices- such as growing art materials using hydroponics regardless of facility constraints. Each chapter is aligned with the continuing education requirements for art therapy board certification renewal to make its relevance clear and to orient the book for future training program integration. Appendices feature clinical directives in easy-to-follow, one-page protocols which encourage readers to consider client needs when applying methods, along with intake forms to bolster real-world application. This text will help clinicians and educators to employ eco-art therapy in practice, in turn empowering their clients and conveying an inclusive message of respect- respect for self, others, community, and the world.