It is estimated that a large fraction of natural gas reserves are found in locations from where transport is not economical. If these isolated natural gas reserves could be converted to synthetic fuels, they would generate around 250 billion barrels of synthetic oil-a quantity equal to one-third of the Middle East's proven oil reserves. Small-Scale Gas to Liquid Fuel Synthesis explores next-generation technologies geared toward overcoming the significant cost and technical barriers prohibiting the extensive use of conventional gas to liquid (GTL) processes for the exploitation of small and/or isolated natural gas reservoirs. The book highlights key research activities in the framework of two large European projects-Innovative Catalytic Technologies & Materials for Next Gas to Liquid Processes (NEXT-GTL) and Oxidative Coupling of Methane followed by Oligomerization to Liquids (OCMOL)-examining novel technical developments that reduce the costs associated with air fractioning and syngas production. Featuring contributions from internationally respected experts, Small-Scale Gas to Liquid Fuel Synthesis discusses innovative GTL technologies based on recent advances in catalytic membrane systems, reaction engineering, and process design. The book provides academic and industrial researchers with a concise presentation of the current state of the art of low-cost, energy-efficient GTL technologies for small-scale applications.

Durability of Industrial Composites offers numerical and quantitative solutions to long-term composite failures that are useful to practicing engineers, researchers, and students. All modes of laminate long-term failure are contemplated, with resin toughness and environmental conditions considered. The book develops a simple unified equation to compute the load-dependent durability of laminates under the simultaneous action of cyclic and static loads. The load-independent durability and residual life of equipment immersed in corrosive chemicals are also discussed. The book presents a full discussion of the elusive strain-corrosion mode of failure as well as a complete solution to the durability issue of underground sanitation pipes. The currently accepted durability parameters of HDB, Sb and Sc are discarded as incorrect and replaced with the appropriate threshold parameters. The entirely new concept of the "anomalous failure" is fully discussed and solved. The effects of overpressure and spike strains, as well as of the operating temperature and moisture, are quantitatively evaluated and illustrated in numerical examples.

Predicting Motion presents the core ideas of Newtonian mechanics, starting from Newton's laws and the idea that changes in motion are predictable given the forces that cause them. Richly illustrated with questions and answers for self-assessment, it carefully introduces concepts, such as kinetics and potential energy, linear momentum, torque (the rotational analogue of force), and angular momentum, and explains their role in predicting motion. Although no prior knowledge of this topic is required, the book focuses on the significance of differential equations in making such predictions. It also provides an up-to-date treatment of mechanics with accounts of relativistic collisions and the implications of chaos theory for the future of the solar system and for galaxies that contain black holes.

Courant and Friedrich's classical treatise was first published in 1948 and tThe basic research for it took place during World War II. However, many aspects make the book just as interesting as a text and a reference today. It treats the dynamics of compressible fluids in mathematical form, and attempts to present a systematic theory of nonlinear wave propagation, particularly in relation to gas dynamics. Written in the form of an advanced textbook, it should appeal to engineers, physicists and mathematicians alike.

Energy Science and Applied Technology includes contributions on a wide range of topics: - Technologies in geology, mining, oil and gas exploration and exploitation of deposits - Energy transfer and conversion, materials and chemical technologies - Environmental engineering and sustainable development - Electrical and electronic technology, power system engineering - Mechanical, manufacturing, process engineering - Control and automation - Communications and applied information technologies - Applied and computational mathematics - Methods and algorithms optimization - Network technology and application - System test, diagnosis, detection and monitoring - Recognition, video and image processing The book will appeal to academics and engineers involved in energy and applied sciences.

Metal-Organic Framework Nanocomposites: From Design to Application assembles the latest advances in MOF nanocomposites, emphasizing their design, characterization, manufacturing, and application and offering a wide-ranging view of these materials with exceptional physical and chemical properties. FEATURES Discusses various types of MOF materials, such as polyaniline MOF nanocomposites, magnetic MOF nanocomposites, and carbon nanotube-based MOF nanocomposites Includes chapters on the usage of these materials in pollutant removal, electrochemical devices, photocatalysts, biomedical applications, and other applications Covers different aspects of composite fabrication from energy storage and catalysts, including preparation, design, and characterization techniques Emphasizes the latest technology in the field of manufacturing and design Aimed at researchers, academics, and advanced students in materials science and engineering, this book offers a comprehensive overview and analysis of these extraordinary materials.

Presents the newer field of chaos in nonlinear dynamics as a natural extension of classical mechanics as treated by differential equations. Employs Hamiltonian systems as the link between classical and nonlinear dynamics, emphasizing the concept of integrability. Also discusses nonintegrable dynamics, the fundamental KAM theorem, integrable partial differential equations, and soliton dynamics.

In a series of brief chapters, Al Gini lays out ideas for 'stepping out of the shadow of the self' - an argument for stopping thinking of yourself as the centre of the universe. It's hard to be good, he explains, until we realize that being good only has meaning in relation to other people. Ideas of justice, fairness, and ethical behavior are just that - abstract ideas - until they are put into action with regard to people outside ourselves.
We may worry too much about good versus evil - big concepts that give us plenty of room to sit on the right side of the equation, he argues. Instead, we need to be thinking about how being good involves an active relationship toward others. Being good all by yourself may not be good enough. This warm and generous book is for anyone who wants to know how to use ethical thinking as way to live, work, and be with others.

The Routledge Handbook of Energy in Asia presents a comprehensive review of the unprecedented growth of Asian energy over the past quarter of a century. It provides insightful analysis into variation across the continent, whilst highlighting areas of cross-learning and regional cooperation between the developed and developing countries of Asia. Prepared by a team of leading international experts, this book not only captures the East Asian domination, particularly that of China, but also highlights the growing influence of South Asia and the ASEAN. Organised into four parts, the sections include: the demand for energy in the region and its main drivers at the sector level; developments in energy supply, including fossil fuels and renewable energy sources; energy policies and issues such as sector reform and climate change; the transition to a low carbon pathway. This handbook offers a complete picture of Asian energy, covering supply and demand, as well as contemporary challenges in the sector. As such, it is a valuable resource for students and scholars of energy policy, Environmental Studies, and Asian Studies.

Building on the material learned by students in their first few years of study, this book presents an advanced level course on statistical and thermal physics. It begins with a review of the formal structure of statistical mechanics and thermodynamics considered from a unified viewpoint. After a brief revision of non-interacting systems, emphasis is laid on interacting systems. First, weakly interacting systems are considered, where the interest is in seeing how such interactions cause small deviations from the non-interacting case. Second, systems are examined where interactions lead to drastic changes, namely phase transitions. A number of specific examples are given, and these are unified within the Landau theory of phase transitions. The final chapter of the book looks at non-equilibrium systems and the way these evolve towards equilibrium. Here, fluctuations play a vital role, as is formalized in the Fluctuation-Dissipation theorem.

This work contains the proceedings of an International Astronomical Symposium devoted to the interactions between physics and dynamics in the solar system, especially with regard to the small bodies (asteroids, comets, meteors). These two topics were traditionally considered as almost independent, but their interactions are increasingly being reviewed as the key to an understanding of the formation and evolution of the solar system. For instance, the rotational dynamics of planets have a profound influence on their climate. On the other hand, a good understanding of the complicated dynamics of asteroids and the identification of families of bodies born from the break-up of a parent body may tell us much about the formation and the evolution of the solar system. All these, and several related questions are discussed in these proceedings, which should be of interest to both physicists and dynamicists.

This volume reviews conceptual conflicts at the foundations of physics now and in the past century. The focus is on the conditions and consequences of Einstein's pathbreaking achievements that sealed the decline of the classical notions of space, time, radiation, and matter, and resulted in the theory of relativity. Particular attention is paid to the implications of conceptual conflicts for scientific views of the world at large, thus providing the basis for a comparison of the demise of the mechanical worldview at the turn of the 20th century with the challenges presented by cosmology at the turn of the 21st century. Throughout the work, Einstein's contributions are not seen in isolation but instead set into the wider intellectual context of dealing with the problem of gravitation in the twilight of classical physics; the investigation of the historical development is carried out with a number of epistemological questions in mind, concerning, in particular, the transformation process of knowledge associated with the changing worldviews of physics.

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.

On a global scale, crustal stresses are the result of plate tectonics. On a regional basis, the knowledge of stresses is of vital interest for deep mining, geothermal heat exploitation for electricity generation from deep hot rock formations, safe underground hazardous waste disposal scenarios in impermeable rock, and large-scale tunneling for high-speed traffic. This book originated in a workshop on Rock Mechanics with Emphasis on In-Situ Stress. The areas of focus includes a deeper understanding of large earthquake focal mechanics, the "Hot Dry Rock" (HDR) concept of geothermal energy exploitation, and the development of strategies for the stimulation of deep-seated fresh water reservoirs. Rock Mechanics with Emphasis on Stress will be of interest to geologists, seismologists, and geotechnical and civil engineers.

This book aims to provide expert guidance to researchers experienced in classical technology, as well as to those new to the field. A variety of perspectives on Photonic Crystal Fibres (PCFs) is presented together with a thorough treatment of the theoretical, physical and mathematical foundations of the optics of PCFs. The range of expertise of the authors is reflected in the depth of coverage, which will benefit those approaching the subject for a variety of reasons and from diverse backgrounds. The study of PCFs enables us to understand how best to optimize their applications in communication or sensing, as devices confining light via new mechanisms (such as photonic bandgap effects). It also assists us in understanding them as physically important structures which require a sophisticated mathematical analysis when considering questions related to the definition of effective refractive index, and the link between large finite systems and infinite periodic systems. This book offers access to essential information on foundation concepts of a dynamic and evolving subject. It is ideal for those who wish to explore further an emerging and important branch of optics and photonics.

This open access book contains a structured collection of the complete solutions of all essential axisymmetric contact problems. Based on a systematic distinction regarding the type of contact, the regime of friction and the contact geometry, a multitude of technically relevant contact problems from mechanical engineering, the automotive industry and medical engineering are discussed. In addition to contact problems between isotropic elastic and viscoelastic media, contact problems between transversal-isotropic elastic materials and functionally graded materials are addressed, too. The optimization of the latter is a focus of current research especially in the fields of actuator technology and biomechanics. The book takes into account adhesive effects which allow access to contact-mechanical questions about micro- and nano-electromechanical systems. Solutions of the contact problems include both the relationships between the macroscopic force, displacement and contact length, as well as the stress and displacement fields at the surface and, if appropriate, within the half-space medium. Solutions are always obtained with the simplest available method - usually with the method of dimensionality reduction (MDR) or approaches which use the solution of the non-adhesive normal contact problem to solve the respective contact problem.

This book provides an elementary introduction to one-dimensional fluid flow problems involving shock waves in air. The differential equations of fluid flow are approximated by finite difference equations and these in turn are numerically integrated in a stepwise manner, with artificial viscosity introduced into the numerical calculations in order to deal with shocks. This treatment of the subject is focused on the finite-difference approach to solve the coupled differential equations of fluid flow and presents the results arising from the numerical solution using Mathcad programming. Both plane and spherical shock waves are discussed with particular emphasis on very strong explosive shocks in air. This expanded second edition features substantial new material on sound wave parameters, Riemann's method for numerical integration of the equations of motion, approximate analytical expressions for weak shock waves, short duration piston motion, numerical results for shock wave interactions, and new appendices on the piston withdrawal problem and numerical results for a closed shock tube. This text will appeal to students, researchers, and professionals in shock wave research and related fields. Students in particular will appreciate the benefits of numerical methods in fluid mechanics and the level of presentation.

This book offers an interdisciplinary theoretical approach based on non-equilibrium statistical thermodynamics and control theory for mathematically modeling shock-induced out-of-equilibrium processes in condensed matter. The book comprises two parts. The first half of the book establishes the theoretical approach, reviewing fundamentals of non-equilibrium statistical thermodynamics and control theory of adaptive systems. The latter half applies the presented approach to a problem on shock-induced plane wave propagation in condensed matter. The result successfully reproduces the observed feature of waveform propagation in experiments, which conventional continuous mechanics cannot access. Further, the consequent stress-strain relationships derived with relaxation and inertia effect in elastic-plastic transition determines material properties in transient regimes.

This book offers a broad overview of the potential of continuum mechanics to describe a wide range of macroscopic phenomena in real-world problems. Building on the fundamentals presented in the authors' previous book, Continuum Mechanics using Mathematica (R), this new work explores interesting models of continuum mechanics, with an emphasis on exploring the flexibility of their applications in a wide variety of fields.

This book offers a succinct review of single-phase flow and a solid grounding in the two-phase flow, focusing on mixture and separated flows. This graduate text provides a unified treatment of the fundamental principles of two-phase flow and shows how to apply the priciples to a variety of homogeneous mixture as well as separated liquid-liquid, gas-solid, liquid-solid, and gas-liquid flow problems, which maybe steady or transient, laminar or turbulent.

Each chapter contains several sample problems, which illustrate the outlined theory and provide approaches to find simplified analytic descriptions of complex two-phase flow phenomena.

This well-balanced introductory text will be suitable for final year undergraduates and postgraduates in mechanical, chemical, biomedical, nuclear, environmental and aerospace engineering, as well as in applied mathematics and the physical sciences. It will be a valuable reference for practicing engineers and scientists.

A solutions manual will also be available and the book is accompanied by a CD-ROM with animations of the Two-Phase Flow Fundamentals and applications.

The idea for this book came out of the EURESCO Conference on High Performance Fibers: Euroconference on Fiber Fracture in 2000. Many of the books that are currently available look at different aspects of fiber processing, properties, or applications, but none are focussed on the fracture behaviour of fibers. This book presents the mechancisms and models of fiber fracture currently available for both natural and synthetic fibers, and it is expected that increasingly there will be cross fertilization between the fields, opening new frontiers in academic research and more competitive products for industry. It covers the following areas of fiber fracture: ceramic fibers; glass fibers; carbon filters; metallic fibers and thin wires; polymeric fibers; and carbon nanotubes.

Although neuropsychology is little more than half a century old, the field has flourished and has had a profound impact on our understanding of the brain and our assessment and treatment of brain disorders. The start of a new century is an opportune time to reflect on the origins and future of this expanding field. Pathways to Prominence captures the stories behind the work of the clinicians and scholars who have contributed significantly to neuropsychology's development.
Uniquely, this book goes beyond a discussion of ideas and discoveries to explore the people and the career paths they have taken. The book is divided into three major sections. Part I reviews the lives and work of key figures such as Nelson Butters, Aleksandr Luria, and Roger Sperry. In Part II a number of pioneers in the field reflect on the body of their work in the context of their personal development and professional pathways. The role of social and cultural factors, scientific and technological advances, and serendipity becomes apparent in many of these chapters. A final section focuses on the future of neuropsychology both as a profession and as a science.
While it would be impossible to provide an exhaustive review of the field in a single volume, Pathways to Prominence will provide twenty-first century scholars and clinicians with insight and inspiration in the reflections of the generation that preceded them.

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Since its introduction in 1984, MATLAB's ever-growing popularity and functionality have secured its position as an industry-standard software package. The user-friendly, interactive environment of MATLAB 6.x, which includes a high-level programming language, versatile graphics capabilities, and abundance of intrinsic functions, helps users focus on their applications rather than on programming errors. MATLAB has now leapt far ahead of FORTRAN as the software of choice for engineering applications.