"Constrained Deformation of Materials: Devices, Heterogeneous Structures and Thermo-Mechanical Modeling" is an in-depth look at the mechanical analyses and modeling of advanced small-scale structures and heterogeneous material systems. Mechanical deformations in thin films and miniaturized materials, commonly found in microelectronic devices and packages, MEMS, nanostructures and composite and multi-phase materials, are heavily influenced by the external or internal physical confinement. A continuum mechanics-based approach is used, together with discussions on micro-mechanisms, to treat the subject in a systematic manner under the unified theme. Readers will find valuable information on the proper application of thermo-mechanics in numerical modeling as well as in the interpretation and prediction of physical material behavior, along with many case studies. Additionally, particular attention is paid to practical engineering relevance. Thus real-life reliability issues are discussed in detail to serve the needs of researchers and engineers alike.

2D Gravity and Non-Perturbative Effects: Diffusion Equation, Continuum Limit and Universality in 2D Quantum Gravity; O. Alvarez, et al. On Triangles and Squares; C. Bachas. Non-Perturbative Effects in 2D Gravity and Matrix Modles; F. David. Integrable Models of 2D Quantum Gravity; P. Di Francesco, et al. Topological Strings and Loop Equations; R. Dijkgraaf, et al. The Two Matrix Model; M.R. Douglas. Action Principle and Large Order Behavior of Non-Perturbative Gravity; P. Ginsparg, et al. D = 1 Strings and String Field Theory: Matrix Models, String Field Theory and Topology; T. Banks. Multipoint Correlation Functions in One-Dimensional String Theory; D. Boulativ. The Penner Model and D = 1 String Theory J. Distler, et al. Non-Perturbative String Theory; D.J. Gross. Bosonic Strings and String Field Theories in One-Dimensional Target Space; V. Kazakov. Liouville Theory andD 1: Random Surfaces in Dimensions Larger than One; J. Ambjorn. On Gauge Invariances in Stochastic Quantization; L. Baulieu. The Quantum Group Structure of Quantum Gravity in Two Dimensions; J.L. Gervais. Notes on Quantum Liouville Theory and Quantum Gravity; N. Seiberg. 8 additional articles. Index.

This book takes a very close look at energy and energy security from a hands-on, technical point of view with an ultimate goal of sorting out and explaining the deep meaning of energy as well as the key factors and variables of our energy security. The book reviews the major energy sources-coal, crude oil, natural gas, the renewables, and other alternative fuels and technologies-according to the way they affect our energy security now and what consequences might be expected in the future. Topics include the different technical, logistics, regulatory, social, political, and financial aspects of modern energy products and technologies. The advantages and disadvantages of the different fuels, technologies, energy strategies, regulations, and policies are reviewed in detail, sorted, and clearly laid out as well as their effects on our present and future energy security in a way that is easy to understand by high school students, engineers, and professors alike. This book is a must-read for energy executives, environmental specialists, investors, bankers, lawyers, regulators, politicians, and anyone involved, or interested, in today's energy production and use and their effects on our energy security.

This book provides a completely revised and expanded version of the previous classic edition 'General Relativity and Relativistic Astrophysics'. In Part I the foundations of general relativity are thoroughly developed, while Part II is devoted to tests of general relativity and many of its applications. Binary pulsars - our best laboratories for general relativity - are studied in considerable detail. An introduction to gravitational lensing theory is included as well, so as to make the current literature on the subject accessible to readers. Considerable attention is devoted to the study of compact objects, especially to black holes. This includes a detailed derivation of the Kerr solution, Israel's proof of his uniqueness theorem, and a derivation of the basic laws of black hole physics. Part II ends with Witten's proof of the positive energy theorem, which is presented in detail, together with the required tools on spin structures and spinor analysis. In Part III, all of the differential geometric tools required are developed in detail. A great deal of effort went into refining and improving the text for the new edition. New material has been added, including a chapter on cosmology. The book addresses undergraduate and graduate students in physics, astrophysics and mathematics. It utilizes a very well structured approach, which should help it continue to be a standard work for a modern treatment of gravitational physics. The clear presentation of differential geometry also makes it useful for work on string theory and other fields of physics, classical as well as quantum.

Coal Production and Processing Technology provides uniquely comprehensive coverage of the latest coal technologies used in everything from mining to greenhouse gas mitigation. Featuring contributions from experts in industry and academia, this book: Discusses coal geology, characterization, beneficiation, combustion, coking, gasification, and liquefaction Explores coalbed methane drilling, excavatability, surface production, strata control, and longwall production Tackles financial, safety, and environmental issues, including coal company valuations, mine emergency preparedness, and carbon management Capturing state-of-the-art knowledge from different facets of the coal chain, Coal Production and Processing Technology offers a holistic view of today's coal industry as well as a look at future trends.

This textbook provides a modern introduction to linear algebra, a mathematical discipline every first year undergraduate student in physics and engineering must learn. A rigorous introduction into the mathematics is combined with many examples, solved problems, and exercises as well as scientific applications of linear algebra. These include applications to contemporary topics such as internet search, artificial intelligence, neural networks, and quantum computing, as well as a number of more advanced topics, such as Jordan normal form, singular value decomposition, and tensors, which will make it a useful reference for a more experienced practitioner. Structured into 27 chapters, it is designed as a basis for a lecture course and combines a rigorous mathematical development of the subject with a range of concisely presented scientific applications. The main text contains many examples and solved problems to help the reader develop a working knowledge of the subject and every chapter comes with exercises.

Renewable Energies Offshore includes the papers presented in the 1st International Conference on Renewable Energies Offshore (RENEW2014), held in Lisbon, 24-26 November 2014. The conference is a consequence of the importance of the offshore renewable energies worldwide and an opportunity to contribute to the exchange of information on the developments and experience obtained in concept development, design and operation of these devices. The scope of the Conference was broad, covering all aspects of the renewable energies offshore such as resource assessment for wind, wave and tidal energies; design and dynamic behaviour of wind, wave and tidal converters and platforms, ocean energy devices; multiuse platforms; PTO design; grid connection; economic assessment; installation and maintenance planning. Renewable Energies Offshore has as main target academics and professionals working in the related areas of renewable energies.

This book details how to leverage big data style analytics to manage and coordinate the key issues in both energy supply and demand. It presents a detailed explanation of the underlying systems technology that enables big data in buildings and how this technology provides added cost benefit from efficiency, onsite solar, and electricity markets. It is a primer on Building Automation Systems Standards, web services and electricity markets and programs plus a complete tutorial on energy analytics hardware, software, and Internet-enabled offerings that energy managers must understand today.

Power and Energy contains 86 selected papers from the International Conference on Power and Energy (CPE 2014, Shanghai, China, 29-30 November 2014), and presents a wide range of topics: - Energy management, planning and policy-making - Energy technologies and environment - Energy prospects - Conventional and renewable power generation - Power system management - Power transmission and distribution - Smart Grid Technologies Power and Energy will be useful to professionals and academics interested in issues related to power and energy.

This textbook highlights the theory of fractional calculus and its wide applications in mechanics and engineering. It describes in details the research findings in using fractional calculus methods for modeling and numerical simulation of complex mechanical behavior. It covers the mathematical basis of fractional calculus, the relationship between fractal and fractional calculus, unconventional statistics and anomalous diffusion, typical applications of fractional calculus, and the numerical solution of the fractional differential equation. It also includes latest findings, such as variable order derivative, distributed order derivative and its applications. Different from other textbooks in this subject, the book avoids lengthy mathematical demonstrations, and presents the theories in close connection to the applications in an easily readable manner. This textbook is intended for students, researchers and professionals in applied physics, engineering mechanics, and applied mathematics. It is also of high reference value for those in environmental mechanics, geotechnical mechanics, biomechanics, and rheology.

This introductory text presents the basic aspects and most important features of various types of resonances and anti-resonances in dynamical systems. In particular, for each resonance, it covers the theoretical concepts, illustrates them with case studies, and reviews the available information on mechanisms, characterization, numerical simulations, experimental realizations, possible quantum analogues, applications and significant advances made over the years. Resonances are one of the most fundamental phenomena exhibited by nonlinear systems and refer to specific realizations of maximum response of a system due to the ability of that system to store and transfer energy received from an external forcing source. Resonances are of particular importance in physical, engineering and biological systems - they can prove to be advantageous in many applications, while leading to instability and even disasters in others. The book is self-contained, providing the details of mathematical derivations and techniques involved in numerical simulations. Though primarily intended for graduate students, it can also be considered a reference book for any researcher interested in the dynamics of resonant phenomena.

Electrochemical Polymer Electrolyte Membranes covers PEMs from fundamentals to applications, describing their structure, properties, characterization, synthesis, and use in electrochemical energy storage and solar energy conversion technologies. Featuring chapters authored by leading experts from academia and industry, this authoritative text: Discusses cutting-edge methodologies in PEM material selection and fabrication Points out important challenges in developing PEMs and recommends mitigation strategies to improve PEM performance Analyzes the current integration of PEMs with primary power devices and explores research trends for the next generation of PEMs Electrochemical Polymer Electrolyte Membranes provides a systematic overview of the state of the art of PEM development, making the book a beneficial resource for researchers, students, industrial professionals, and manufacturers.

This book discusses efforts to control the low-frequency vibration transmission of typical power equipment and pipeline systems of ships, exploring the use of active and passive hybrid vibration isolation and adjustable dynamic vibration absorption technologies. It also proposes an adaptive feed-forward control strategy and studies a distributed feed-forward control hardware system. In addition, the book presents a three-way dynamic vibration absorption theory used to design a pipeline-system adjustable dynamic vibration absorber, which offers a number of advantages, such as compact structure, easy assembly and disassembly, low power consumption, excellent vibration control effect and wide frequency band adjustable ability, etc. This book is a valuable resource for researchers and engineers in the fields of noise and vibration control, active control systems, active vibration isolation and adaptive dynamic vibration absorption.

This proceedings volume brings together selected peer-reviewed papers presented at the 2014 International Conference on Frontier of Energy and Environment Engineering. Topics covered include energy efficiency and energy management, energy exploration and exploitation, power generation technologies, water pollution and protection, air pollution and protection and environmental engineering and management among others. This volume will be of interest to a global audience consisting of academic researchers, industry professionals and policy-makers active in the wide field of energy and environmental engineering.

A Guide for Owners and Managers. This book provides a blueprint for action for readers making decisions about how to improve the energy efficiency and performance of new or existing buildings. Suitable for both seasoned veterans and new managers, it takes an objective and orderly approach to what is often a complex, costly, and time-consuming process. The book presents fundamental principles illustrated with case studies. It thoroughly covers the topics in a concise, technically accurate way. The book is designed for architects, engineers, and construction managers.

This book helps you make good lighting decisions and will be a very useful hands-on tool for anyone involved with engineering, maintenance, purchasing, specification, retrofits, remodels, and new construction for interior or exterior lighting applications. It gives very practical ways to maintain and update existing lighting systems and how to plan for the future. Key points include LED lighting, maintenance costs, achieving low power density, disadvantages of LED T8s, and human centric lighting.

Due to their high growth rate, algae, microalgae, and aquatic plants are becoming the most promising photosynthetic organisms for biofuel production. Advances in Biofuel Production: Algae and Aquatic Plants explores current investigations and application of the fields of biofuel production and bioengineering and considers from a global context the evolving processes of algal biofuel production. The book looks at how biomass, specifically sugars, nonedible plant materials, and algae (which are designated first, second, and third fuels respectively) are used in the production of fuel. The feasibility of such projects, current methodologies, and how to optimize biofuel production are presented.

This book is for energy auditors or retrofitters, whether they work in the weatherization program or in the private arena, and is intended to help them prepare for several certifications. These include programs with BPI, RESNET-HERS, DOE/NREL, and AEE (Association of Energy Engineers). The material in this book contains industry procedures and techniques and is intended to be an educational resource. Topics covered include the house as a system, the auditor s tools, weatherization, sealants, insulation and barriers, retrofitting, heating and cooling, baseload, and new construction. A number of additional appendices are included to provide the reader with valuable information in the performance of a residential energy audit. "