Provides a comprehensive summary on the physical models and current theory of black hole accretion, growth and mergers, in both the supermassive and stellar-mass cases. This title reviews in-depth research on accretion on all scales, from galactic binaries to intermediate mass and supermassive black holes. Possible future directions of accretion are also discussed. The following main themes are covered: a historical perspective; physical models of accretion onto black holes of all masses; black hole fundamental parameters; and accretion, jets and outflows. An overview and outlook on the topic is also presented. This volume summarizes the status of the study of astrophysical black hole research and is aimed at astrophysicists and graduate students working in this field. Originally published in Space Science Reviews, Vol 183/1-4, 2014.

These proceedings are a collection of 16 selected scientific papers and reviews by distinguished international experts that were presented at the 4th Pacific Rim Underwater Acoustics Conference (PRUAC), held in Hangzhou, China in October 2013. The topics discussed at the conference include internal wave observation and prediction; environmental uncertainty and coupling to sound propagation; environmental noise and ocean dynamics; dynamic modeling in acoustic fields; acoustic tomography and ocean parameter estimation; time reversal and matched field processing; underwater acoustic localization and communication as well as measurement instrumentations and platforms. These proceedings provide insights into the latest developments in underwater acoustics, promoting the exchange of ideas for the benefit of future research.

This contributed volume presents a multi-perspective collection of the latest research findings on oil and gas exploration and imparts insight that can greatly assist in understanding field behavior, design of test programs, and design of field operations. With this book, engineers also gain a powerful guide to the most commonly used numerical simulation methods that aid in reservoir modelling. In addition, the contributors explore development of technologies that allow for cost effective oil and gas exploration while minimizing the impact on our water resources, surface and groundwater aquifers, geological stability of impacted areas, air quality, and infrastructure assets such as roads, pipelines, water, and wastewater networks. Easy to understand, the book identifies equipment and procedural problems inherent to oil and gas operations and provides systematic approaches for solving them.

This second edition includes updated chapters from the first edition as well as five additional new chapters (Light detection and ranging (LiDAR), CORONA historical de-classified products, Unmanned Aircraft Vehicles (UAVs), GNSS-reflectometry and GNSS applications to climate variability), shifting the main focus from monitoring and management to extreme hydro-climatic and food security challenges and exploiting big data. Since the publication of first edition, much has changed in terms of technology, and the demand for geospatial data has increased with the advent of the big data era. For instance, the use of laser scanning has advanced so much that it is unavoidable in most environmental monitoring tasks, whereas unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAVs)/drones are emerging as efficient tools that address food security issues as well as many other contemporary challenges. Furthermore, global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) are now responding to challenges posed by climate change by unravelling the impacts of teleconnection (e.g., ENSO) as well as advancing the use of reflected signals (GNSS-reflectometry) to monitor, e.g., soil moisture variations. Indeed all these rely on the explosive use of "big data" in many fields of human endeavour. Moreover, with the ever-increasing global population, intense pressure is being exerted on the Earth's resources, leading to significant changes in its land cover (e.g., deforestation), diminishing biodiversity and natural habitats, dwindling fresh water supplies, and changing weather and climatic patterns (e.g., global warming, changing sea level). Environmental monitoring techniques that provide information on these are under scrutiny from an increasingly environmentally conscious society that demands the efficient delivery of such information at a minimal cost. Environmental changes vary both spatially and temporally, thereby putting pressure on traditional methods of data acquisition, some of which are highly labour intensive, such as animal tracking for conservation purposes. With these challenges, conventional monitoring techniques, particularly those that record spatial changes call for more sophisticated approaches that deliver the necessary information at an affordable cost. One direction being pursued in the development of such techniques involves environmental geoinformatics, which can act as a stand-alone method or complement traditional methods.

This book discusses various aspects, challenges, and solutions for developing systems-of-systems for situation awareness, using applications in the domain of maritime safety and security. Topics include advanced, multi-objective visualization methods for situation awareness, stochastic outlier selection, rule-based anomaly detection, an ontology-based event model for semantic reasoning, new methods for semi-automatic generation of adapters bridging communication gaps, security policies for systems-of-systems, trust assessment, and methods to deal with the dynamics of systems-of-systems in run-time monitoring, testing, and diagnosis. Architectural considerations for designing information-centric systems-of-systems such as situation awareness systems, and an integrated demonstrator implementing many of the investigated aspects, complete the book.

Fragmentation characteristics influence mucking productivity, crusher throughput and energy consumption, plant efficiency, yield and recovery, or the price itself of the end product in the case of industrial minerals and aggregates. Reliable, quantitative measurements of fragment sizes are instrumental in controlling and optimizing the blasting results. Measurement and Analysis of Blast Fragmentation presents the latest developments in rock fragmentation measurement techniques and analysis. It includes image analysis and machine vision techniques, either photographic or 3D such as stereo-photogrammetry and laser triangulation; case studies of fragmentation measurements in a variety of situations and used in different optimization and control tasks; fragmentation analysis and new suitable functional descriptions of size distributions, and model-scale fragmentation tests with weighed size distribution data. The contributions in this book were presented at the workshop Measurement and Analysis of Blast Fragmentation, which was hosted by Fragblast 10 (New Delhi, India, November 2012), provide a snapshot of the activity in rock fragmentation measurements and analysis around the world, and are a must-have reference for engineers and researchers working in rock blasting.

Rock Fragmentation by Blasting contains the papers presented at the 10th International Symposium on Rock Fragmentation by Blasting (New Delhi, India, 26-29 November 2012), and represents the most advanced forum on blasting science and technology. The contributions cover all major recent advancements in blasting and fragmentation, from realistic treatment of the target rock; modelling, measurement and prediction of blast results; control of blast-induced damage, to special blast designs applicable to civil construction and demolition projects. The latest developments on environmental issues associated with blasting operations such as vibrations, flyrock, and dust are also included. Rock Fragmentation by Blasting provides the state-of-the-art in explosives and blasting engineering, and will be a valuable source of information for researchers and practitioners involved in these areas.

There is considerable scope for improving the outcome of any blasting operation through basic understanding and application of the principles of blasting science and technology. The main objective of Performance of Explosives and New Developments is to sensitize the practitioner to critically examine the various empirical approaches in blasting which may have been in use for a long time, but lack any sound material basis. On the other hand, where the empirical approaches have proven of value, significant additional improvement can be achieved through better understanding of the underlying process. None of the components involved in a blasting operation should be treated in isolation, as they are all interlinked. Fragmentation of rock by blasting represents the first stage in the size reduction process which is essential to extraction of valuable minerals and metals. Therefore, understanding the performance of the explosive and initiators under actual field conditions, and critical assessment of the blast results afterwards are central to effective blast design, improved productivity, and novel applications. Performance of Explosives and New Developments presents the state of the art on explosive energy, its utilization in blasting, and some new developments and innovative applications, and is aimed at academics and practitioners in the field.

Blasting practices in mines have undergone many changes in the recent past and continue to be honed and reconfigured to meet the demands of today's mining needs. This volume compiles papers of the workshop Blasting in Mines - New Trends, hosted by the Fragblast 10 Symposium . The 17 papers provide a mix which highlight the evolving trends in blasting in mines. These range from special techniques of cast blasting, applications of seed wave modelling for improved fragmentation, to design of mass blasts and controlled blasting for stability of pit-walls. Blasting in Mines - New Trends will be of particular interest to mining and blasting engineers.

This book deals with an effect in celestial mechanics that has become quite important in exoplanet research. The Lidov-Kozai effect reveals itself in coherent periodic variations (which can be very large) of the inclination and eccentricity of an orbiting body in the presence of an inclined perturber. The effect is known to be important in the motion of many asteroids and planetary satellites. What is more, now it attracts more and more interest in the astronomical and astrophysical community due to its relevance for many exoplanetary systems. Recent years witnessed major advancements in its theory. It would be no exaggeration to say that nowadays the Lidov-Kozai effect becomes one of the most studied astrophysical effects. This book covers the multitude of the Lidov-Kozai effect's modern applications and its theory developments. It will be useful for researchers and students working in astrophysics, celestial mechanics, stellar dynamics, theoretical mechanics, space missions design, depending on the interests of the reader. The book is self-contained. It provides the full detailed coverage of the effect's theory and applications.

Before beginning a residential project make sure you've got Ugly's Residential Wiring, 2020 Edition in your toolbox. Updated to reflect the 2020 National Electrical Code (NEC (R)), this quick on-the-job reference has been specifically designed to provide the most commonly required electrical wiring information for residential work in an easy-to-read, easy-to-access format. You will save precious time and money with instant access to specific rules, symbols and code requirements for wiring dwellings that ensure your job stays on task and passes inspection the first time.The perfect tool for electricians, contractors, designers, instructors, students, and do-it-yourself home owners, Ugly's Residential Wiring includes coverage of basic residential requirements, including: Features & Benefits: Allowable Ampacities Ohm's Law Grounding Parallel Circuits Series Circuits Services and Service Points Conduit Fill Wiring Diagrams and Rules

Maximizing reader insights into the challenges facing maritime supply chains and container port logistics service providers in Asia, this book highlights their innovative responses to these challenges through real-world case studies. With a focus on mathematical modeling, simulation and heuristics approaches, this book provides academics, engineers, container terminal operators, students in logistics and supply chain management with the latest approaches that can be used to address the planning and scheduling problem in large container terminal yards. This book can be used on a self-contained basis as teaching cases in an undergraduate or specialist class setting, or on techniques applied to maritime container operations for port operations.

Release from prison is matter of increasing interest throughout Europe. On the one hand, arguments about the need to reduce prison numbers, as well the consistent findings that prisoners can be integrated into society more effectively if they are subject to a period of supervision in the community, have made early release policies attractive to governments and to academic commentators. On the other hand, there are concerns that early release may not be applied fairly to all prisoners. This book aims to meet the need for comparative information on release from prison across Europe and explores some of the key themes and issues. The body of the book focuses on country perspectives, providing an invaluable survey of the situation in a number of European countries. The introductory and concluding chapters place the comparative material in a broader perspective. They explain how release policy is related to wider questions about justice and fairness in prison-related decision-making and the changing place of imprisonment in European society.

This book deals with a number of contentious issues in Chinese management as China emerges as a global economic player, with a greater role in international business during a global economic crisis. This step is in tandem with an economically driven foreign policy. Since the 1980s, Chinese management while still in transition, has benefited from an infusion of capital, technology and managerial expertise through inward direct investment via joint and wholly-owned foreign ventures. As the so-called 'workshop of the world', China and its exports, especially labour-intensive goods, face protectionism in the United States and the European Union. To circumvent these barriers, the Chinese leaders are emphasising domestic consumption, itself dependent on rising personal income levels and an improved national social insurance system, and a move to high-tech products, themselves requiring indigenous innovation. The creation of a knowledge economy, in addition to outward investment in manufacturing, could lead to a distinctive independent style of Chinese management. Simultaneously, China's participation in intra-regional trade underlines the nation's role in Asian regional business networks. Such developments in turn present a challenge to Western and global business. This book was published as a special issue of Asia Pacific Business Review.

The present book is the outcome of an Advanced Study Institute meeting, which was held in Kallithea, Chalkidiki, in Northern Greece, from 12-25 May 1991 and attended by 69 delegates from 18 countries. The Institute brought together scientists, engineers and technologists currently involved in basic and applied research on the different aspects of flotation. The Institute covered subjects in four major areas of flotation: a) fundamentals; b) chemical technology aspects; c) mineral processing; and d) water and wastewater treatment. Apart from the papers reproduced in this volume, several short oral communications were also presented. Participants also had the opportunity to visit the Hellenic Chemical Products & Fertilizers Co. Ltd. mixed sulphides plant, in Chalkidiki. Conference participants, whose interest and research projects are in this broad field of science and engineering, provided a well-informed discussion of the problems encountered, as well as possible directions of future technological developments. It is hoped that this book is not only a good record of the presentations made (formal and informal), analyzing the state-of-the-art in flotation, but will also be helpful for students, scientists and technologists working in the fields of separation processes and in particular mineral processing and wastewater engineering. All the invited speakers and the participants made this summer school possible, worthwhile and enjoyable. The sponsorship by the NATO Scientific Affairs Division is gratefully ack nowledged. The Editors would like to thank the members of the Organizing Committee, Dr. B.A."

This book treats the experimental methods used to determine the physical properties of explosives and explosions - physical principles, operating procedures and evaluations of results. Aimed at practicing engineers as well as experimental physicists who investigate the effects of explosions, this book will be of interest to research laboratories, manufacturers of explosives, military training establishments, technical laboratories and so forth.

New trends in mineral deposits mining largely consist of intensifying and concentrating mining operations. Innovative technologies helping to increase technical-economic indices, extraction volume, working efficiency and safety rules are presented in this book.

Push: Software Design and the Cultural Politics of Music Production shows how changes in the design of music software in the first decades of the twenty-first century shaped the production techniques and performance practices of artists working across media, from hip-hop and electronic dance music to video games and mobile apps. Emerging alongside developments in digital music distribution such as peer-to-peer file sharing and the MP3 format, digital audio workstations like FL Studio and Ableton Live introduced design affordances that encouraged rapid music creation workflows through flashy, "user-friendly" interfaces. Meanwhile, software such as Avid's Pro Tools attempted to protect its status as the "industry standard," "professional" DAW of choice by incorporating design elements from pre-digital music technologies. Other software, like Cycling 74's Max, asserted its alterity to "commercial" DAWs by presenting users with nothing but a blank screen. These are more than just aesthetic design choices. Push examines the social, cultural, and political values designed into music software, and how those values become embodied by musical communities through production and performance. It reveals ties between the maximalist design of FL Studio, skeuomorphic design in Pro Tools, and gender inequity in the music products industry. It connects the computational thinking required by Max, as well as iZotope's innovations in artificial intelligence, with the cultural politics of Silicon Valley's "design thinking." Finally, it thinks through what happens when software becomes hardware, and users externalize their screens through the use of MIDI controllers, mobile media, and video game controllers. Amidst the perpetual upgrade culture of music technology, Push provides a model for understanding software as a microcosm for the increasing convergence of globalization, neoliberal capitalism, and techno-utopianism that has come to define our digital lives.