This book discusses risk management as it applies to problem-solving for simple, complex and wicked problems faced by policy creators and implementors, project managers and systems engineers in the context of policies, large engineering projects (LEPs), projects and systems. When applying systems thinking to risk management, it can be seen that risk management applies to almost every action taken in daily life. This book: Introduces the systems approach of integrating risk management into policy creation and implementation, project management and systems engineering, such as the risk framework and the Firm Fixed Price (FFP) contract with penalties and bonuses. Introduces a number of out-of-the box concepts building on the application of the systems thinking tools in the system thinker's toolbox. Points out that integrating risk management into policy and project management and systems engineering is just good management and engineering practice. Discusses the flow of risk in a policy from creation through implementation via LEPs and simpler projects, identifying where risks arise and where they should be dealt with. Presents the risks in the relationship between policy creation, implementation, project management and systems engineering. Discusses risks throughout the policy implementation process and shows how the nature of risks changes from political to financial to technological as implementation proceeds. Discusses managing complexity and specifies the minimum number of elements in a system for it to be defined as, and managed as, complex. Points out that in most instances the traditionally ignored major implementation risk is that of poor performance by personnel. Shows how to proactively incorporate prevention into planning in order to prevent risks, as well as how to mitigate them when they occur.

Reliability technology plays an important role in the present era of industrial growth, optimal efficiency, and reducing hazards. This book provides insights into current advances and developments in reliability engineering, and the research presented is spread across all branches. It discusses interdisciplinary solutions to complex problems using different approaches to save money, time, and manpower. It presents methodologies of coping with uncertainty in reliability optimization through the usage of various techniques such as soft computing, fuzzy optimization, uncertainty, and maintenance scheduling. Case studies and real-world examples are presented along with applications that can be used in practice. This book will be useful to researchers, academicians, and practitioners working in the area of reliability and systems assurance engineering. Provides current advances and developments across different branches of engineering. Reviews and analyses case studies and real-world examples. Presents applications to be used in practice. Includes numerous examples to illustrate theoretical results.

The author has spent approximately 50 years in the field of systems engineering. This Focus book provides a "looking back" at his 50-year run and the lessons he learned and would like to share with other engineers, so they can use these lessons in their day-to-day work in systems engineering and related fields. The book is written from a systems engineering perspective. It offers 50 lessons learned working for a variety of different companies, which can be used across many other engineering fields. The book will be of interested to students and engineers across many fields, as well as students and engineers working in business and management fields.

This book captures deploying Industry 4.0 technologies for business excellence and moving towards Society 5.0. It addresses applications of Industry 4.0 in the areas of marketing, operations, supply chain, finance, and HR to achieve business excellence. Industry 4.0 Technologies for Business Excellence: Frameworks, Practices, and Applications focuses on the use of AI in management across different sectors. It explores the benefits through a human-centered approach to resolving social problems by integrating cyberspace and physical space. It discusses the framework for moving towards Society 5.0 and keeping a balance between economic and social gains. This book brings together researchers, developers, practitioners, and users interested in exploring new ideas, techniques, and tools and exchanging their experiences to provide the most recent information on Industry 4.0 applications in the field of business excellence. Graduate or postgraduate students, professionals, and researchers in the fields of operations management, manufacturing, healthcare, supply chain, marketing, finance, and HR will find this book full of new ideas, techniques, and tools related to Industry 4.0.

With most of the easy gas and oil reserves discovered and prices rebounding, companies are now drilling far offshore in extreme weather condition environments. As deepwater wells are drilled to greater depths, engineers and designers are confronted with new problems such as water depth, weather conditions, ocean currents, equipment reliability, and well accessibility. "Offshore Structure Design, Construction and Maintenance" covers all types of offshore structures and platforms employed worldwide.

The ultimate reference for selecting, operating and maintaining offshore structures, this book provides a road map for designing structures which will stand up even in the harshest environments. The selection of the proper type of offshore structure is discussed from a technical and economic point of view. The design procedure for the fixed offshore structure will be presented and how to review the design to reach the optimum solution. Nonlinear analysis (Push over) analysis will be presented as a new technique to design and assess the existing structure. Pile design and tubular joint with the effect of fatigue loading will be presented also from a theoretical and a practical point of view.

With this book in hand, engineers receive the most up-to-date methods for performing a structural life cycle analysis; implement maintenance plans for topsides and jackets, using non destructive testing. Under water inspection is discussed for hundreds of platforms in detail. Advanced repair methodology for scour, marine growth and damaged or deteriorating members are discussed. Risk based under water inspection techniques are covered from a practical pint of view. In addition, the book will be supported by an online modeling and simulation program with will allow designers to save time and money by verifying assumptions online.
One stop guide to offshore structure design and analysis Easy to understand methods for structural life cycle analysisExpert advice for designing offshore platforms for all types of environments Save time and money by verifying designs online

- provides an overview of spillway function, capacity and design- historic overview of river basin studies and floods- treating arrangements of hydroelectric works and types of spillways

This reference for engineers, and graduate students covers sediment transport and morphodynamics modelling in nearshore environments. It presents the fundamentals required for understanding the physics and for setting up numerical models. This book covers hydrodynamics of estuarine and coastal environments, properties of seafloor and estuarine composition, and hydroenvironmental interactions; emphasising the inter-relations of small- and large-scale processes, and short- and large-evolution timescales. The focus is, principally, on the application of shallow-water theory, but some surface wave models, and coupling of shallow-water models with surface waves is also discussed to some extent. The guidance on running regional models and the case studies presented are directed to managed realignment, coastal protection, climate change impacts, and offshore renewables. Key features: Gives a balanced review of this rich interdisciplinary area Bridges practical engineering and research Offers both large- and small-scale application Suits graduate students and researchers as well as consulting engineers Vanesa Magar is a senior researcher and associate professor at the Centro de Investigacion Cientifica y de Educacion Superior de Ensenada (CICESE) in Baja California, Mexico. She was formerly a researcher and then a lecturer at Plymouth University, UK.

Describes the background of manufacturing techniques in brief including advent of and introduction to modern manufacturing techniques (MMTs) Reviews various types of MMTs established in recent years and their accelerated growth and development innovation driven applications Overviews the physical and chemical techniques used for nanomaterials production Explores the fabrication mechanism of MEMS, NEMS, semiconductors and optical devices Provides a conceptual overview of AM technologies

How do accidents and disasters occur? How has knowledge of accident processes evolved? A significant improvement in safety has occurred during the past century, with the number of accidents falling spectacularly within industry, aviation and road traffic. This progress has been gradual in the context of a changing society. The improvements are partly due to a better understanding of the accident processes that ultimately lead to damage. This book shows how contemporary crises instigated the development of safety knowledge and how the safety sciences pieced their theories together by research, by experience and by taking ideas from other domains. From Safety to Safety Science details 150 years of knowledge development in the safety sciences. The authors have rigorously extracted the essence of safety knowledge development from more than 2,500 articles to provide a unique overview and insight into the background and usability of safety theories, as well as modelling how they developed and how they are used today. Extensive appendices and references provide an additional dimension to support further scholarly work in this field. The book is divided into clear time periods to make it an accessible piece of science history that will be invaluable to both new and experienced safety researchers, to safety courses and education, and to learned practitioners.

Critical Steps happen every day at work and at home, purposefully. Work does not happen otherwise. If an operation has the capacity to do work, then it has the capacity to do harm. Work is energy directed by human beings to create value. But people are imperfect-we make mistakes, and sometimes we lose control of the work. Therefore, work is the use of force under conditions of uncertainty. A Critical Step is a human action that will trigger immediate, irreversible, and intolerable harm to an asset, if that action or a preceding action is performed improperly. Whether the human action involves clicking on a link attached to an e-mail message, walking down a flight of stairs with a newborn baby in arms, engaging the clutch on a gasoline-driven chain saw, or administering a medication to a patient in a hospital, these all satisfy the definition of what constitutes critical risks in our daily lives, professionally or personally. The overarching goal of managing Critical Steps is to maximize the success (safety, reliability, productivity, quality, profitability, etc.) of people's performance in the workplace, to create value for the organization without losing control of built-in hazards necessary to create that value.

Critical Steps happen every day at work and at home, purposefully. Work does not happen otherwise. If an operation has the capacity to do work, then it has the capacity to do harm. Work is energy directed by human beings to create value. But people are imperfect-we make mistakes, and sometimes we lose control of the work. Therefore, work is the use of force under conditions of uncertainty. A Critical Step is a human action that will trigger immediate, irreversible, and intolerable harm to an asset, if that action or a preceding action is performed improperly. Whether the human action involves clicking on a link attached to an e-mail message, walking down a flight of stairs with a newborn baby in arms, engaging the clutch on a gasoline-driven chain saw, or administering a medication to a patient in a hospital, these all satisfy the definition of what constitutes critical risks in our daily lives, professionally or personally. The overarching goal of managing Critical Steps is to maximize the success (safety, reliability, productivity, quality, profitability, etc.) of people's performance in the workplace, to create value for the organization without losing control of built-in hazards necessary to create that value.

Provides detailed models/analysis pertaining to various cases which are useful for material requirements planning and supply chain environment. Elaborates manufacturing rate flexibility, demand variation, and production rate variation. Discusses multi-item manufacturing environment and presents models with backorders as well as fractional backlogging. Analyzes flexible production rate along with upward and downward variations.

Provides an overview to futuristic research areas Explores various engineering optimization and multi-criteria decision making techniques Introduces a specific control framework for use in analyzing processes Covers problem-analyzing and solving skills Includes different types of composites materials, design considerations, and applications

This book celebrates the relaunch of the African Pollen Database, presents state-of-the-art of modern and ancient pollen data from sub-Saharan Africa, and promotes Open Access science. Pollen grains are powerful tools for the study of past vegetation dynamics because they preserve well within sedimentary deposits and have a huge diversity in ornamentation that allows different taxa to be determined. The reconstruction of past vegetation from the examination of ancient pollen records thus can be used to characterize the nature of past landscapes (e.g. abundance of forests vs. grasslands), provide insights into changes in biodiversity, and gain empirical evidence of vegetation response to climatic change and human activity. In this, the 35th Volume of "Palaeoecology of Africa", we bring together new data and extensive synthetic reviews to provide novel insights into the relationships between human evolution, human activity, climate change and vegetation dynamics during the Quaternary, the last 2.6 million years.

Current and ongoing climate and land-use change is exerting pressure on modern vegetation formations and threatening the livelihoods and wellbeing of many peoples in Africa. In this book the focus is on the Quaternary because it is during this geological period that the modern vegetation formations developed into their current configurations against a backdrop of high magnitude global climate change (glacial-interglacial cycles), human evolution, and a growing human land-use footprint. In this book the latest information is presented and collated from around the African continent to parameterize past vegetation states, identify the drivers of vegetation change, and assess the vegetation resilience to change. To achieve this research from two broad themes are covered: (i) the present is the key to the past (i.e. studies which improve our understanding of modern environments so that we can better interpret evidence from the past), and (ii) the past is the key to the future (i.e. studies which unlock information on how and why vegetation changed in the past so one can better anticipate trajectories of future change).

This Open Access book will provide a strong foundation for future research exploring past ecological, environmental and climatic change within Africa and the surrounding islands. The book is organized regionally (covering western, eastern, central, and southern Africa) and it contains specialized articles focused on particular topics (such as modern pollen-vegetation relationships and fire as a driver of vegetation change), as well as regional and pan-African syntheses drawing together decades of research to assess key scientific questions (including the role of climate in driving vegetation change and the role of vegetation change in human evolution). These articles will be useful to students and teachers from high school to the highest level of university who are interested in the origins and dynamics of vegetation in Africa. Furthermore, it is also meant to provide societally relevant information that can act as an inspiration for the development of sustainable management practices for the future.

Table of Contents

1. Rise of the Palaeoecology of Africa series

2. The African Pollen Database (APD) and tracing environmental change: State of the Art

3. Preliminary evidence for green, brown and black worlds in tropical western Africa during the Middle and Late Pleistocene

4. Holocene high-altitude vegetation dynamics on Emi Koussi, Tibesti Mountains (Chad, Central Sahara)

5. Timing and nature of the end of the African Humid Period in the Sahel: Insight from pollen data

6. Changes in the West African landscape at the end of the African Humid Period

7. Reconstructing vegetation history of the Olorgesailie Basin during the Middle to Late Pleistocene using phytolith data

8. Sedimentological, palynological and charcoal analyses of the hydric palustrine sediments from the Lielerai-Kimana wetlands, Kajiado, southern Kenya

9. The new Garba Guracha palynological se-quence: Revision and data expansion

10. Lower to Mid-Pliocene pollen data from East African hominid sites, a review

11. Ecosystem change and human-environment interactions of Arabia

12. The challenge of pollen-based quantitative reconstruction of Holocene plant cover in tropical regions: A pilot study in Cameroon

13. A Holocene pollen record from Mboandong, a crater lake in lowland Cameroon

14. Future directions of palaeoecological research in the hyper-diverse Cape Floristic Region: The role of palynological studies

15. An atlas of southern African pollen types and their climatic affinities

16. Pollen productivity estimates from KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg, South Africa

17. Modern pollen-vegetation relationships in the Drakensberg Mountains, South Africa

18. A Late Holocene pollen and microcharcoal record from Eilandvlei, southern Cape coast, South Africa

19. A ~650 year pollen and microcharcoal record from Vankervelsvlei, South Africa

20. Pollen records of the 14th and 20th centuries AD from Lake Tsizavatsy in southwest Madagascar

21. Modern pollen studies from tropical Africa and their use in palaeoecology

22. Vegetation response to millennial- and orbital-scale climate changes in Africa:

A view from the Ocean

23. Inside-of-Africa: How landscape openness shaped Homo sapiens evolution by facilitating dispersal and gene-flow in Middle and Late Pleistocene Africa

24. The role of palaeoecology in conserving African ecosystems

Sustainable procurement is the pursuit of sustainable development objectives through the purchasing and supply process, while balancing environmental, social, and economic objectives. This book will help readers develop new contemporary knowledge about frameworks, innovative tools and techniques to achieve sustainability in public as well as private procurement practices. The book will enable scholars and practitioners working in the domain of sustainable procurement to improve the overall performance of the supply chain and further achieve UN SDGs, by making various decisions at the planning and strategic phase of the business. Features Discusses theoretical, decision making and related business management models Assists to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Provides qualitative/quantitative frameworks Covers quality innovations sustainability in sourcing Examines measurement drivers, indicators and metrics

Both process planning and scheduling are very important functions of manufacturing, which affect together the cost to manufacture a product and the time to deliver it. This book contains various approaches proposed by researchers to integrate the process planning and scheduling functions of manufacturing under varying configurations of shops. It is useful for both beginners and advanced researchers to understand and formulate the Integration Process Planning and Scheduling (IPPS) problem effectively. Features Covers the basics of both process planning and scheduling Presents nonlinear approaches, closed-loop approaches, as well as distributed approaches Discuss the outfit of IPPS in Industry 4.0 paradigm Includes the benchmarking problems on IPPS Contains nature-algorithms and metaheuristics for performance measurements in IPPS Presents analysis of energy-efficient objective for sustainable manufacturing in IPPS

Future predictions are always a topic of interest. Precise estimates are crucial in many activities as forecasting errors can lead to big financial loss. The sequential analysis of data and information gathered from past to present is call time series analysis. This book covers the recent advancements in time series forecasting. The book includes theoretical as well as recent applications of time series analysis. It focuses on the recent techniques used, discusses a combination of methodology and applications, presents traditional and advanced tools, new applications, and identifies the gaps in knowledge in engineering applications. This book is aimed at scientists, researchers, postgraduate students and engineers in the areas of supply chain management, production, inventory planning, and statistical quality control.

Drying processes are among the most energy-consuming operations in industry. Flame spray drying (FSD) is a novel approach to reduce the energy supply needed for the spray drying process. Flame Spray Drying: Equipment, Mechanism, and Perspectives describes FSD technology and current developments in flame techniques and evaluates potential industrial implementation. Details advantages of FSD in terms of energy consumption and reduced drying time Promotes applications of biofuels for the drying process Analyzes the FSD method from CFD modelling to product quality Evaluates potential safety and product degradation risks Provides examples of potential applications of the FSD technique in drying of different materials This book describes an important new technique that is useful to chemical and process engineering researchers, professionals, and students working with drying technologies.

A large and growing number of manufacturers are realizing the substantial financial and environmental benefits of sustainable business practices. To develop more sustainable societies, industries need to better understand how to respond to environmental, economic, and social challenges and transform industrial behavior. The objective of this book is to provide the required knowledge and accelerate the transition towards a sustainable industrial system. The book will help industries to enhance operational efficiency by reducing costs and waste. It will help them increase customer response, reach new customers, and gain competitive advantage. It offers innovation, scenario planning, and strategic analysis that goes beyond compliance, as well as case studies and remedies to the industry 4.0 challenges. Professionals, as well as students, can refer to this book to add to their knowledge on Industry 4.0 and develop new ideas and solutions to the existing and future problems.

Presents a comparison between conventional and advanced manufacturing methods of FGM fabrication Discusses the fundamentals and advancements of FGMs Offers case studies from labs all over the world by key research groups Covers the entire concept of recent trends and advancements in the manufacturing of FGMs via different techniques Includes the principles and working details of various processing techniques and limitations

The importance of good documentation can build a strong foundation for any thriving organization. This reference text provides a detailed and practical treatment of technical writing in an easy to understand manner. The text covers important topics including neuro-linguistics programming (NLP), experimental writing against technical writing, writing and unity of effect, five elements of communication process, human information processing, nonverbal communication and types of technical manuals. Aimed at professionals and graduate students working in the fields of ergonomics, aerospace engineering, aviation industry, and human factors, this book: Provides a detailed and practical treatment of technical writing. Discusses several personal anecdotes that serve as real-work examples. Explores communications techniques in a way that considers the psychology of what "works" Discusses in an easy to understand language, stories, and examples, the correct steps to create technical documents.

The importance of good documentation can build a strong foundation for any thriving organization. This reference text provides a detailed and practical treatment of technical writing in an easy to understand manner. The text covers important topics including neuro-linguistics programming (NLP), experimental writing against technical writing, writing and unity of effect, five elements of communication process, human information processing, nonverbal communication and types of technical manuals. Aimed at professionals and graduate students working in the fields of ergonomics, aerospace engineering, aviation industry, and human factors, this book: Provides a detailed and practical treatment of technical writing. Discusses several personal anecdotes that serve as real-work examples. Explores communications techniques in a way that considers the psychology of what "works" Discusses in an easy to understand language, stories, and examples, the correct steps to create technical documents.

The book uses a systems-based approach to show how innovation is pervasive in all facets of endeavors, including business, industrial, government, the military, and even academia. It presents chapters that provide techniques and methodologies for achieving the transfer of science and technology assets for innovation applications. By introducing Innovation, the book and offers different viewpoints, both qualitative and quantitative. It includes the role that systems can play and discusses approaches along technical and process issues. There is a showcase of innovation applications, and coverage on how to manage innovation individually as well as within a team and it also includes how to develop, manage, and sustain innovation in various organizations. Open-ended questions and exercises are included at the end of chapters with no need for a solutions manual. Written for the advance-level textbook market as well as for the professional reader, it targets those within the engineering, business, and management fields.

Mathematical models are used to convert real-life problems using mathematical concepts and language. These models are governed by differential equations whose solutions make it easy to understand real-life problems and can be applied to engineering and science disciplines. This book presents numerical methods for solving various mathematical models. This book offers real-life applications, includes research problems on numerical treatment, and shows how to develop the numerical methods for solving problems. The book also covers theory and applications in engineering and science. Engineers, mathematicians, scientists, and researchers working on real-life mathematical problems will find this book useful.

In today's competitive markets, considering the demand and the supply chain sides is crucial to keeping revenue and customer satisfaction maximized. Managing and planning demand play a vital role in the sustainability of a company. This is the first book to the discuss managerial, mathematical, and conceptual framework of influencing factors on demand along with accurate mathematical analyses to evaluate and raise revenue. The book provides an understanding of the key elements that impact buyer demand. It presents the mathematical relationship between the influencing factors and the demand functions. It discusses the methods used for inspiring demand, how to measure demand dependency on components such as price, quality, and inventory, and it helps management improve alignment between supply and demand by affecting the level and understanding of the role within supply chain management (SCM). This book is applicable for the professional as well as for academia. It can help those working in SCM, project management, production, inventory control, scheduling, engineering management, retail management, and operations management.