This book summarizes recent research and development in the field of nanostructured ceramics and their composites. It presents selected examples of ceramic materials with special electronic, catalytic and optical properties and exceptional mechanical characteristics. A special focus is on sol-gel based and organic-inorganic hybrid nanoceramic materials. The book highlights examples for preparation techniques including scale-up, properties of smart ceramic composites, and applications including e.g. waste water treatment, heavy metal removal, sensors, electronic devices and fuel cells. Recent challenges are addressed and potential solutions are suggested for these. This book hence addresses chemists, materials scientists, and engineers, working with nanoceramic materials and on their applications.

This book focuses on the modeling and analysis of heat and fluid flow in microchannels and micro-systems, compiling a number of analytical and hybrid numerical-analytical solutions for models that account for the relevant micro-scale effects, with the corresponding experimental analysis validation when applicable. The volume stands as the only available compilation of easy to use analytically-based solutions for micro-scale heat and fluid flow problems, that systematically incorporates the most relevant micro-scale effects into the mathematical models, followed by their physical interpretation on the micro-system behavior.

Learn from these authors' experiences tailoring TPM to the disctinctive needs of North American plants, and how TPM fits into an overall manufacturing improvement strategy. A real-world view on what works and what doesn't, Robinson and Ginder provide and excellent resource for strategic planning and an educatioinal tool for middle and upper management. Includes the seven levels of autonomous maintenance, a discussion of unions and TPM, and a TPM master plan.

• Provides a comprehensive overview of luxury brand management from a sustainability perspective, using cases and examples to demonstrate how sustainability practices can be embedded into the product and applied to existing luxury brands. • Each chapter includes real life case studies from both well-known international brands and boutique luxury start-ups. • Designed as a core or recommended text for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate Luxury Fashion Management and Luxury Brand Management courses.

This book presents a complete state of the art for different types of nanomaterial, their environmental fate, and their use in textile waste remediation. Nano-engineered materials including nanoparticles, nanofibers, nanotubes have been used extensively for a variety of applications. Environmental concerns have been noted mainly due to the discharge of textile waste. Nanotechnology is fast growing on research and bringing sustainable solution in minimizing the waste. This also minimizes the risk of exposure and health hazards. With the development of industry, environmental pollution and energy shortage have raised awareness of a potential global crisis. So, it is urgent to develop a simple and effective method to address these current issues. Nano-engineered materials can be better solution in finding solution of environmental sustainability more specific to the textile waste remediation. Nano-engineered materials have emerged as pioneering photocatalysts and account for most of the current research in this area. This can provide large surface areas, diverse morphologies, abundant surface states, and easy device modeling, all of which are properties beneficial to photodegradation. Furthermore, the stability and cost of nano-engineered materials are critical factors. Therefore, it is a challenge of great importance to identify and design nano-engineered materials that are efficient, stable, and abundant for the remediation of textile waste.

Pressurized equipment is used for many industrial processes, for example in petrochemical plants, off-m,shore oil rigs, gas storage and control systems. In each case the pressure vessels must be carefully designed to cope with the operating temperatures and pressures. With the increasing service demands, quality requirements and safety legislation it has become vitally important for engineers to understand the fundamental principles underlying the methodologies of the design standards codes. This text provides background information on pressure vessel design for a wide range of pressurized components. It is written by engineers, the majority of whom serve on the British Standard Pressure Vessel Design Committee. The book derives from a series of courses and seminars run regularly in the UK and overseas by the University of Strathclyde in conjunction with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers since 1986. The scope and coverage has been developed over an extended period to meet the needs of those involved with pressure vessels as designers, fabricators, users, plant operators, inspection bodies, researchers and senior students.

Research and development of various parallel mechanism applications in engineering are now being performed more and more actively in every industrial field. Parallel robot based machine tools development is considered a key technology of robot applications in manufacturing industries. The material covered here describes the basic theory, approaches, and algorithms in the field of parallel robot based machine tools. In addition families of new alternative mechanical architectures which can be used for machine tools with parallel architecture are introduced. Given equal importance is the design of mechanism systems such as kinematic analysis, stiffness analysis, kinetostatic modeling, and optimization.

This book introduces the various aspects of the emerging field of carbon dots. Their structural and physico-chemical properties as well as their current and future potential applications are covered. A special chapter on graphene quantum dots is provided. The reader will also find different synthesis routes for carbon quantum dots.

In a uniform and comprehensive manner the authors describe all the important aspects of the epitaxial growth processes of solid films on crystalline substrates, e.g. processes in which atoms of the growing film mimic the arrangement of the atoms of the substrate. Emphasis is put on sufficiently fundamental and unequivocal presentation of the subject in the form of an easy-to-read review. A large part of this book focuses on the problems of heteroepitaxy. The most important epitaxial growth techniques which are currently widely used in basic research as well as in manufacturing processes of devices are presented and discussed in detail.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of potential opportunities and the business value position related to implementing physics-based real-time simulation to production. The objective of real-time simulation is to provide value for all three dimensions of sustainability: economic, social, and environmental. By reviewing actual industrial cases and presenting relevant academic research, the book examines the topic from four interrelated viewpoints: the industrial need for sustainable production, the development of game-like virtual environments, capturing customer value and enhancing the user experience, and finally, establishing business value. It offers a framework that will enable a rethink and shift in mindset to appreciate how real-time simulation can change the way products are manufactured and services are produced. This book will appeal to researchers and scholars in areas as diverse as strategic management, manufacturing and operations management, marketing, industrial economics, and product lifecycle management.

This book gives a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in both theory and practical implementation of plasmonic probes. Encompassing multiple disciplines, the field of plasmonics provides a versatile and flexible platform for nanoscale sensing and imaging. Despite being a relatively young field, plasmonic probes have come a long way, with applications in chemical, biological, civil, and architectural fields as well as enabling many analytical schemes such as immunoassay, biomarkers, environmental indexing, and water quality sensing, to name but a few. The objective of the book is to present in-depth analysis of the theory and applications of novel probes based on plasmonics, with a broad selection of specially-invited chapters on the development, fabrication, functionalization, and implementation of plasmonic probes as well as their integration with current technologies and future outlook. This book is designed to cater to the needs of novice, seasoned researchers and practitioners in academia and industry, as well as medical and environmental fields.

CMOS Processors and Memories addresses the-state-of-the-art in integrated circuit design in the context of emerging computing systems. New design opportunities in memories and processor are discussed. Emerging materials that can take system performance beyond standard CMOS, like carbon nanotubes, graphene, ferroelectrics and tunnel junctions are explored.

CMOS Processors and Memories is divided into two parts: processors and memories. In the first part we start with high performance, low power processor design, followed by a chapter on multi-core processing. They both represent state-of-the-art concepts in current computing industry. The third chapter deals with asynchronous design that still carries lots of promise for future computing needs. At the end we present a "hardware design space exploration" methodology for implementing and analyzing the hardware for the Bayesian inference framework. This particular methodology involves: analyzing the computational cost and exploring candidate hardware components, proposing various custom architectures using both traditional CMOS and hybrid nanotechnology CMOL. The first part concludes with hybrid CMOS-Nano architectures.

The second, memory part covers state-of-the-art SRAM, DRAM, and flash memories as well as emerging device concepts. Semiconductor memory is a good example of the full custom design that applies various analog and logic circuits to utilize the memory cell's device physics. Critical physical effects that include tunneling, hot electron injection, charge trapping (Flash memory) are discussed in detail. Emerging memories like FRAM, PRAM and ReRAM that depend on magnetization, electron spin alignment, ferroelectric effect, built-in potential well, quantum effects, and thermal melting are also described.

CMOS Processors and Memories is a must for anyone serious about circuit design for future computing technologies. The book is written by top notch international experts in industry and academia. It can be used in graduate course curriculum.

This book reviews the work in the field of nanoadsorbents derived from natural polymers, with a special emphasis on materials finding application in water remediation. It includes natural materials both with an organic or an inorganic skeleton, from which the nanomaterials can be made. Those nanomaterials can therefore be used to reinforce other matrices and in their pristine form have an extraordinary adsorption efficiency. Being of natural or biological origin, the materials described in this book distinguish themselves as eco-friendly and non-toxic. The book describes how these benefits of the described materials can be combined and exploited. It will thus appeal to chemists, nanotechnologists, environmental engineers and generally all scientist working in the field of water pollution and remediation as an inspiration for the innovation toward new technologies.

Historically, the integration of manufacturing methodologies into the office environment has proven to be problematic. Part of the difficulty lies in the fact that process workflows tend to be globally dispersed and thus rely heavily on information technology. But in complex service systems that contain a mix of employees, consultants, and technology, standardized protocols have been shown to reduce cycle time and transactional cost as well as improve quality. The successful application of Lean methodologies to improve process workflows is an efficient way to simplify operations and prevent mistakes. In Lean Six Sigma for the Office , Six Sigma guru James Martin presents proven modifications that can be deployed in offices, particularly those offices involved with global operations. Making use of Kaizen and Six Sigma concepts, along with Lean manufacturing principles, this book instructs managers on how they can improve operational efficiency and increase customer satisfaction. The author brings experience gleaned from his application of these methodologies in a myriad of industries to create a practical and hands-on reference for the office environment. Using a detailed sequence of activities, including over 140 figures and tables as well as checklists and evaluation tools, he demonstrates how to realize the rapid improvement of office operations, and how to eliminate unnecessary tasks through value stream mapping (VSM). The book also emphasizes the importance of strategic alignment of Kaizen events and the impact of organizational culture on process improvement activities. Latter chapters in the book discuss key elements of a change model in the context of transitional improvements as they relate to the process owner and local work team. By applying the proven principles found in this book, effective and sustainable organizational change can be accomplished, efficiency can be improved, and mistakes can be eliminated. This 2nd edition provides insight into the new tools and methods Lean Six Sigma process improvement professionals need to improve customer experience and increase productivity within high transaction processes across complex information technology ecosystems. It is one-stop self-contained reference for the application of Lean Six Sigma methods enhanced by powerful approaches for process improvement in highly complex service processes. Several new leading-edge topics are integrated into this new edition, such as: * The "voice of" customers, suppliers, employees and partners * Design Thinking Alignment * Ecosystems in Information Technology * Metadata Definition and Lineage * Information Quality Governance * Big Data Collection and Analytics * Mapping High Volume Transactions through Systems * Robotic Process Automation Applications * Automating for Solution Sustainability * Governing Organizations * Data Privacy (General Data Protection Regulation)

This book presents a detailed description of the most common nondestructive testing(NDT) techniques used for the testing and evaluation fiber-reinforced composite structures, during manufacturing and/or in service stages. In order to facilitate the understanding and the utility of the different NDT techniques presented, the book first provides some information regarding the defects and material degradation mechanisms observed in fiber-reinforced composite structures as well as their general description and most probable causes. It is written based on the extensive scientific research and engineering backgrounds of the authors in the NDT and structural health monitoring (SHM) of structural systems from various areas including electrical, mechanical, materials, civil and biomedical engineering. Pursuing a rigorous approach, the book establishes a fundamental framework for the NDT of fiber-reinforced composite structures, while emphasizing on the importance of technique's spatial resolution, integrated systems analysis and the significance of the influence stemming from the applicability of the NDT and the physical parameters of the test structures in the selection and utilization of adequate NDT techniques. The book is intended for students who are interested in the NDT of fiber-reinforced composite structures, researchers investigating the applicability of different NDT techniques to the inspections of structural systems, and NDT researchers and engineers working on the optimization of NDT systems for specific applications involving the use of fiber-reinforced composite structures.

This book presents some of the latest achievements in nanotechnology and nanomaterials from leading researchers in Ukraine, Europe, and beyond. It features contributions from participants in the 2nd International Summer School "Nanotechnology: From Fundamental Research to Innovations" and International Research and Practice Conference "Nanotechnology and Nanomaterials", NANO-2013, which were held in Bukovel, Ukraine on August 25-September 1, 2013. These events took place within the framework of the European Commission FP7 project Nanotwinning, and were organized jointly by the Institute of Physics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, University of Tartu (Estonia), University of Turin (Italy), and Pierre and Marie Curie University (France). Internationally recognized experts from a wide range of universities and research institutions share their knowledge and key results on topics ranging from nanooptics, nanoplasmonics, and interface studies to energy storage and biomedical applications.

This book highlights the proceedings of the International Conference on Atomic, Molecular, Optical and Nano-Physics with Applications (CAMNP 2019), organized by the Department of Applied Physics, Delhi Technological University, New Delhi, India. It presents experimental and theoretical studies of atoms, ions, molecules and nanostructures both at the fundamental level and on the application side using advanced technology. It highlights how modern tools of high-field and ultra-fast physics are no longer merely used to observe nature but can be used to reshape and redirect atoms, molecules, particles or radiation. It brings together leading researchers and professionals on the field to present and discuss the latest finding in the following areas, but not limited to: Atomic and Molecular Structure, Collision Processes, Data Production and Applications Spectroscopy of Solar and Stellar Plasma Intense Field, Short Pulse Laser and Atto-Second Physics Laser Technology, Quantum Optics and applications Bose Einstein condensation Nanomaterials and Nanoscience Nanobiotechnolgy and Nanophotonics Nano and Micro-Electronics Computational Condensed Matter Physics

Low Power Analog CMOS for Cardiac Pacemakers proposes new techniques for the reduction of power consumption in analog integrated circuits. Our main example is the pacemaker sense channel, which is representative of a broader class of biomedical circuits aimed at qualitatively detecting biological signals.
The first and second chapters are a tutorial presentation on implantable medical devices and pacemakers from the circuit designer point of view. This is illustrated by the requirements and solutions applied in our implementation of an industrial IC for pacemakers. There from, the book discusses the means for reduction of power consumption at three levels: base technology, power-oriented analytical synthesis procedures and circuit architecture.

This book reflects the current status of theoretical and experimental research of graphene based nanostructures, in particular quantum dots, at a level accessible to young researchers, graduate students, experimentalists and theorists. It presents the current state of research of graphene quantum dots, a single or few monolayer thick islands of graphene. It introduces the reader to the electronic and optical properties of graphite, intercalated graphite and graphene, including Dirac fermions, Berry's phase associated with sublattices and valley degeneracy, covers single particle properties of graphene quantum dots, electron-electron interaction, magnetic properties and optical properties of gated graphene nanostructures. The electronic, optical and magnetic properties of the graphene quantum dots as a function of size, shape, type of edge and carrier density are considered. Special attention is paid to the understanding of edges and the emergence of edge states for zigzag edges. Atomistic tight binding and effective mass approaches to single particle calculations are performed. Furthermore, the theoretical and numerical treatment of electron-electron interactions at the mean-field, HF, DFT and configuration-interaction level is described in detail.

This book highlights a comprehensive introduction of graphene and graphene-based two-dimensional nanomaterials, covering topics from their atomic structures, electronic band structures, and fundamental properties to technological applications. The book provides fundamental physics knowledge covering quantum mechanics, the theory of relativity, solid-state physics, and topology geometry necessary to understand electronic band structure of graphene. Other topics including microscopy techniques and preparation methods of graphene are also presented. Adopting an easy-to-read style, the book is a valuable resource for researchers in physics, chemistry, materials science, and engineers who are interested in the field of graphene-based nanomaterials.

World watch production today is concentrated in three countries: Switzerland, Japan and China. Former centres such as Great Britain, France, the United States and Russia saw the industrial manufacture of watches disappear from their territory during the twentieth century. How did this situation come about? The business of time aims to answer this question by presenting the first comprehensive history of the sector. It traces the evolution and transformation of the global watch industry from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day, highlighting the conditions that enabled watch production to expand across the globe and revealing how multinational companies gradually emerged to dominate the industry. -- .

For the efficient utilization of energy resources and the minimization of environmental damage, thermoelectric materials can play an important role by converting waste heat into electricity directly. Nanostructured thermoelectric materials have received much attention recently due to the potential for enhanced properties associated with size effects and quantum confinement. "Nanoscale Thermoelectrics" describes the theory underlying these phenomena, as well as various thermoelectric materials and nanostructures such as carbon nanotubes, SiGe nanowires, and graphene nanoribbons. Chapters written by leading scientists throughout the world are intended to create a fundamental bridge between thermoelectrics and nanotechnology, and to stimulate readers' interest in developing new types of thermoelectric materials and devices for power generation and other applications. "Nanoscale Thermoelectrics" is both a comprehensive introduction to the field and a guide to further research, and can be recommended for Physics, Electrical Engineering, and Materials Science departments.

Currently, the challenge for manufacturing organizations is how to achieve their expected profit by continuously improving productivity or reducing costs. Manufacturing organizations have been using different improvement approaches to achieving cost reduction and productivity improvement for years by eliminating various losses and waste structures, such as excess inventory, excessive workforce, excessive capacity, excessive utility consumption, and so on. But is the problem solved? Unfortunately, no! Often manufacturing companies focus on maximizing the flow and meeting customer needs but forget their real aim - to make a profit for their stakeholders. Too many organizations meet customer expectations by seeking to continuously synchronize the flow to market demand but forget to check that they are doing it profitably enough to ensure business continuity and prosperity. When the financial results show that they are not so profitable, it is already too late. Moreover, the strategic direction of systematic improvements according to the sales trend - depending on the current degree of production capacity utilization and its dynamic effects on cost structures - is deficient in many manufacturing companies. So, would the failure of strategic and profitable systematic improvements be an option? Of course not! If the ultimate goal of the organization is to create target profit for stakeholders, then the behavior and strategic systematic improvements must be directed to those scenarios, strategies, tasks, problems, and "production levers" that are best based on creating the target profit. That's what Strategic Kaizen thinking does - the simultaneous and consistent achievement of systematic operational and financial improvements in a strategic and operational manner. It achieves both synchronous operations at market demand by fulfilling takt time and profitable operations in accordance with profit demand by fulfilling takt profit. In short, the Strategic Kaizen mission is striving for the fulfillment of the ideal state of operations called synchronous profitable operations. In this book, the author, while presenting in detail the seven processes of Strategic Kaizen methodology, exposes the answer to historically incomplete thinking of productivity improvements for target profitability. The uniqueness of the book is reinforced by the detailed presentation of the successful application of the Strategic Kaizen thinking over the years in two multinational manufacturing organizations operating in highly competitive markets, addressing the synchronous profitable operations for both the sales increase scenario and the sales decrease scenario. Moreover, it presents examples of the practical application of the "white-collar" Strategic Kaizen. Essentially, by adopting the Strategic Kaizen methodology presented in detail in this book to consistently achieve the ideal state of a manufacturing organization, organizations will enter a new paradigm of thinking of strategic improvements - Strategic Kaizen thinking - to meet annual and multiannual target profits in a unique and effective way that operates according to its own strategic and operational management system.

This book highlights current advanced developments in bioepoxy and bioepoxy/clay nanocomposites and an optimisation of material formulation and processing parameters on fabrication of bioepoxy/clay nanocomposites in order to achieve the highest mechanical properties in relation to their morphological structures, thermal properties, as well as biodegradability and water absorption, which is based on the use of Taguchi design of experiments with the consideration of technical and economical point of view. It also elaborates holistic theoretical modelling of tensile properties of such bionanocomposites with respect to the effect of contents of nanoclay fillers and epoxydised soybean oil (ESO).

Metal-dielectric interfaces are ubiquitous in modern electronics. As advanced gigascale electronic devices continue to shrink, the stability of these interfaces is becoming an increasingly important issue that has a profound impact on the operational reliability of these devices. In this book, the authors present the basic science underlying the thermal and electrical stability of metal-dielectric interfaces and its relationship to the operation of advanced interconnect systems in gigascale electronics. Interface phenomena, including chemical reactions between metals and dielectrics, metallic-atom diffusion, and ion drift, are discussed based on fundamental physical and chemical principles. Schematic diagrams are provided throughout the book to illustrate interface phenomena and the principles that govern them. Metal-Dielectric Interfaces in Gigascale Electronics provides a unifying approach to the diverse and sometimes contradictory test results that are reported in the literature on metal-dielectric interfaces. The goal is to provide readers with a clear account of the relationship between interface science and its applications in interconnect structures. The material presented here will also be of interest to those engaged in field-effect transistor and memristor device research, as well as university researchers and industrial scientists working in the areas of electronic materials processing, semiconductor manufacturing, memory chips, and IC design.