This two-volume set focuses on the chemistry and physics of engineering materials that have potential for applications in several disciplines of engineering and science. Contributions range from new methods to novel applications of existing methods. Volume 1 addresses modern analytic methodologies while Volume 2 focuses on the limitations, properties, and models of materials. The collection of topics in these volumes reflect the diversity of recent advances in chemistry and physics of engineering materials with a broad perspective that will be useful for scientists as well as for graduate students and engineers. This new two-volume set presents leading-edge research from around the world.

For years, problems related to health-care efficiency have been at the top of the priorities of many hospitals systems and governments. The growing cost of health care, and particularly hospitals, is a significant factor in the increasing pressure for improvement of hospitals’ efficiency while maintaining a high quality of services. Hospitals are recognized as organizations in which waste, unnecessary administrative burdens, failures of care coordination, failures in execution of care processes, and even fraud and abuse are frequently identified as causes. Adoption of management control as a response to hospital problems is consistent with the conviction that control is a critical management function that has the greatest impact on organizational performance. Research proves that the lack of adequate control, adapted to modern organizational solutions, causes many harmful consequences, such as faulty services, dissatisfied patients and employees, inability to effectively compete on market, low flexibility and innovativeness, and, consequently, poor performance of the organization. This book comprehensively presents issues related to management control and develops a breakthrough theory about management control in hospitals. It is the result of many years of research and outlines the concept of control and related theories, which are discussed in detail, taking into account the unique characteristics of medical services, the health-care market, and hospitals as public organizations. Research has shown that the main elements of management control in hospitals are information systems, diagnostic control, interactive control, innovativeness, manager’s trust in physicians, and perceived uncertainty. And that proper relationships between these elements positively influence the hospital’s performance. This book describes how the success of the entire control process is based on the hospital’s top management and its interaction with clinical managers, department heads, and directors of other medical departments as well as clinicians. After reading this book, the implementation of the solutions suggested will help hospitals improve their performance, including the quality and effectiveness of the provided medical services and patient care.

For years, problems related to health-care efficiency have been at the top of the priorities of many hospitals systems and governments. The growing cost of health care, and particularly hospitals, is a significant factor in the increasing pressure for improvement of hospitals’ efficiency while maintaining a high quality of services. Hospitals are recognized as organizations in which waste, unnecessary administrative burdens, failures of care coordination, failures in execution of care processes, and even fraud and abuse are frequently identified as causes. Adoption of management control as a response to hospital problems is consistent with the conviction that control is a critical management function that has the greatest impact on organizational performance. Research proves that the lack of adequate control, adapted to modern organizational solutions, causes many harmful consequences, such as faulty services, dissatisfied patients and employees, inability to effectively compete on market, low flexibility and innovativeness, and, consequently, poor performance of the organization. This book comprehensively presents issues related to management control and develops a breakthrough theory about management control in hospitals. It is the result of many years of research and outlines the concept of control and related theories, which are discussed in detail, taking into account the unique characteristics of medical services, the health-care market, and hospitals as public organizations. Research has shown that the main elements of management control in hospitals are information systems, diagnostic control, interactive control, innovativeness, manager’s trust in physicians, and perceived uncertainty. And that proper relationships between these elements positively influence the hospital’s performance. This book describes how the success of the entire control process is based on the hospital’s top management and its interaction with clinical managers, department heads, and directors of other medical departments as well as clinicians. After reading this book, the implementation of the solutions suggested will help hospitals improve their performance, including the quality and effectiveness of the provided medical services and patient care.

This volume provides critical, authoritative evaluations of advances in the discipline of textile engineering. Reporting on recent advances with significant applications in textile engineering, the chapters are written by internationally recognized researchers. This book covers important concepts and advances in the field, including applications of nonwovens in textile engineering, textile waste treatment for use in emulsion rubbers, parameters of polyhydroxybutyrate nanofibers, preparation of amines for use in textile engineering, progress in photovoltaic textile, and new applications in nanoengineering materials.

This new volume focuses on the limitations, properties, and models in the chemistry and physics of engineering materials that have potential for applications in several disciplines of engineering and science. Contributions range from new methods to novel applications of existing methods. The collection of topics in this volume reflects the diversity of recent advances in chemistry and physics of engineering materials with a broad perspective that will be useful for scientists as well as for graduate students and engineers. This new book presents leading-edge research from around the world. Topics in the book include: * aerogels materials and technology * diffusion dynamics in nanomaterials * entropic nomograms * structural analyses of particulate-filled polymer nanocomposites mechanical properties * protection of rubbers against aging * structure-property correlation and forecast of corrosion This volume is also sold as part of a two-volume set. Volume 1 focuses on modern analytic methodologies in the chemistry and physics of engineering materials.

This volume presents leading-edge research from around the world on modern analytic methodologies in the chemistry and physics of engineering materials that have potential for applications in several disciplines of engineering and science. Contributions range from new methods to novel applications of existing methods. The collection of topics in this volume reflects the diversity of recent advances in chemistry and physics of engineering materials and provides a broad perspective that will be useful for scientists as well as for graduate students and engineers. Topics in the book include * methods for the quality of gas-filled polymer materials * radiometric measurements deposits of surface water * hydrophobic material-supported platinum catalysts * concepts of the physical chemistry of polymers in technologies and environmental protection * application-able radicals for the study of behavior of biological systems * surface-modified magnetic nanoparticles for cell labeling * sorption of industrial dyes by inorganic rocks from aqueous solutions * various method for steel surface modification * recent advances in fire retardant composites * much more This volume is also sold as part of a two-volume set. Volume 2 focuses on the limitations, properties, and models of engineering materials.

This important volume highlights the latest developments and trends in chemistry, biochemistry, and biology. It presents the developments of advanced materials and respective tools to characterize and predict the material properties and behavior. The book provides original, theoretical, and important experimental results that use non-routine methodologies often unfamiliar to the usual readers. The papers on novel applications of more familiar experimental techniques and analyses of chemical, biochemistry, and biological programs indicate the need for new experimental approaches.

This important volume highlights the latest developments and trends in chemistry, biochemistry, and biology. It presents the developments of advanced materials and respective tools to characterize and predict the material properties and behavior. The book provides original, theoretical, and important experimental results that use non-routine methodologies often unfamiliar to the usual readers. The papers on novel applications of more familiar experimental techniques and analyses of chemical, biochemistry, and biological programs indicate the need for new experimental approaches.

This volume presents leading-edge research from around the world on modern analytic methodologies in the chemistry and physics of engineering materials that have potential for applications in several disciplines of engineering and science. Contributions range from new methods to novel applications of existing methods. The collection of topics in this volume reflects the diversity of recent advances in chemistry and physics of engineering materials and provides a broad perspective that will be useful for scientists as well as for graduate students and engineers. Topics in the book include * methods for the quality of gas-filled polymer materials * radiometric measurements deposits of surface water * hydrophobic material-supported platinum catalysts * concepts of the physical chemistry of polymers in technologies and environmental protection * application-able radicals for the study of behavior of biological systems * surface-modified magnetic nanoparticles for cell labeling * sorption of industrial dyes by inorganic rocks from aqueous solutions * various method for steel surface modification * recent advances in fire retardant composites * much more This volume is also sold as part of a two-volume set. Volume 2 focuses on the limitations, properties, and models of engineering materials.

This new volume focuses on the limitations, properties, and models in the chemistry and physics of engineering materials that have potential for applications in several disciplines of engineering and science. Contributions range from new methods to novel applications of existing methods. The collection of topics in this volume reflects the diversity of recent advances in chemistry and physics of engineering materials with a broad perspective that will be useful for scientists as well as for graduate students and engineers. This new book presents leading-edge research from around the world. Topics in the book include: * aerogels materials and technology * diffusion dynamics in nanomaterials * entropic nomograms * structural analyses of particulate-filled polymer nanocomposites mechanical properties * protection of rubbers against aging * structure-property correlation and forecast of corrosion This volume is also sold as part of a two-volume set. Volume 1 focuses on modern analytic methodologies in the chemistry and physics of engineering materials.

This volume provides critical, authoritative evaluations of advances in the discipline of textile engineering. Reporting on recent advances with significant applications in textile engineering, the chapters are written by internationally recognized researchers. This book covers important concepts and advances in the field, including applications of nonwovens in textile engineering, textile waste treatment for use in emulsion rubbers, parameters of polyhydroxybutyrate nanofibers, preparation of amines for use in textile engineering, progress in photovoltaic textile, and new applications in nanoengineering materials.

This double volumes LNCS 11229-11230 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Confederated International Conferences: Cooperative Information Systems, CoopIS 2018, Ontologies, Databases, and Applications of Semantics, ODBASE 2018, and Cloud and Trusted Computing, C&TC, held as part of OTM 2018 in October 2018 in Valletta, Malta. The 64 full papers presented together with 22 short papers were carefully reviewed and selected from 173 submissions. The OTM program every year covers data and Web semantics, distributed objects, Web services, databases, informationsystems, enterprise workflow and collaboration, ubiquity, interoperability, mobility, grid and high-performance computing.

This double volumes LNCS 11229-11230 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Confederated International Conferences: Cooperative Information Systems, CoopIS 2018, Ontologies, Databases, and Applications of Semantics, ODBASE 2018, and Cloud and Trusted Computing, C&TC, held as part of OTM 2018 in October 2018 in Valletta, Malta. The 64 full papers presented together with 22 short papers were carefully reviewed and selected from 173 submissions. The OTM program every year covers data and Web semantics, distributed objects, Web services, databases, informationsystems, enterprise workflow and collaboration, ubiquity, interoperability, mobility, grid and high-performance computing.

This edited, multi-author volume contains selected, peer-reviewed contributions based on the presentations given at the 21th International Workshop on Quantum Systems in Chemistry, Physics, and Biology (QSCP-XXI), held in Vancouver, Canada, in July 2016. This book is primarily aimed at scholars, researchers and graduate students working at universities and scientific laboratories and interested in the structure, properties, dynamics and spectroscopy of atoms, molecules, biological systems and condensed matter.

Originally published in 1959, this book contains the noted discussions of the second conference on the co-ordination of galactic research, held at Saltsjoebaden, near Stockholm, in June 1957, by the International Astronomical Union. 'The editorial work in preparing the present report has been shared by six of the participants of the conference' and 'in accordance with a decision taken at the Stockholm conference, an attempt has been made to present the material in the same way as the report of the Groningen conference of 1953'. Notably, the differences in how the editors have presented the material 'add a certain variety in the way of presentation of the subjects'. Topics are detailed and varied; topic titles include, 'Clusters and associations', 'Spiral structure' and 'The magellanic clouds'. This book, containing symposium number seven, will be of significant value to anyone with an interest in astronomy, cosmology and the history of physics.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 6th International Conference,on Theory and Practice of Natural Computing, TPNC 2017, held in Prague, Czech Republic, December 2017. The 22 full papers presented in this book, together with one invited talk, werecarefully reviewed and selected from 39 submissions. The papers are organized around the following topical sections: applications of natural computing; evolutionary computation; fuzzy logic; Molecular computation; neural networks; quantum computing.

This book has a long history of more than 20 years. The first attempt to write a monograph on information-theoretic approach to thermodynamics was done by one of the authors (RSI) in 1974 when he published, in the preprint form, two volumes of the book "Information Theory and Thermodynamics" concerning classical and quantum information theory, [153] (220 pp.), [154] (185 pp.). In spite of the encouraging remarks by some of the readers, the physical part of this book was never written except for the first chapter. Now this material is written completely anew and in much greater extent. A few years earlier, in 1970, second author of the present book, (AK), a doctoral student and collaborator of RSI in Toruli, published in Polish, also as a preprint, his habilitation dissertation "Information-theoretical decision scheme in quantum statistical mechanics" [196] (96 pp.). This small monograph presented his original results in the physical part of the theory developed in the Torun school. Unfortunately, this preprint was never published in English. The present book contains all these results in a much more modern and developed form.

The Economic and Financial Impacts of the COVID-19 Crisis Around the World: Expect the Unexpected provides an informed, research-based in-depth understanding of the COVID-19 crisis, its impacts on households, nonfinancial firms, banks, and financial market participants, and the effectiveness of the reactions of governments and policymakers in the United States and around the world. It provides reflections and perspectives on the social costs and benefits of various policies undertaken and a toolkit of preventive measures to deal with crises beyond the COVID-19 crisis. Authors Allen N. Berger, Mustafa U. Karakaplan, and Raluca A. Roman apply their expertise to the research and data on the COVID-19 economic crisis as well as draw on their own rich research experience. They take a holistic approach that compares and contrasts this crisis with other economic and financial crises and assesses economic and financial behavior and government policies in the booms before crises and the aftermaths following them, as well as the crises themselves. They do all this with a keen eye on “Expecting the Unexpected” future crises, and policies that might anticipate them and provide better outcomes for society.

1995 marked the 50th anniversary of Stefan Banach's death. Until now, the general English speaking public has had no access to an in-depth life story of a mathematician whose name is one of those most often encountered in modern mathematical research. This small volume, originally written in Polish by a well-known reporter, is an effort to fill that gap in the biographical literature. It is based on original archival sources, dozens of interviews with people who knew and remember Banach, and conversations with mathematicians who are familiar with Banach's work and its impact on modern mathematics. The author presents engaging descriptions of Banach's personality and the unusual milieu in which he worked. Further, Chapter V focuses on the famous Scottish cafe, which like Banach himself, has achieved a mythical dimension in mathematical lore. The English edition has been revised to include new materials and many photographs, and to reflect the interests of a broader international audience."

This book aims to present an information-theoretical approach to thermodynamics and its generalisations. On the one hand, it generalises the concept of information thermodynamics' to that of information dynamics' in order to stress applications outside thermal phenomena. On the other hand, it is a synthesis of the dynamics of state change and the theory of complexity, which provide a common framework to treat both physical and nonphysical systems together. Both classical and quantum systems are discussed, and two appendices are included to explain principal definitions and some important aspects of the theory of Hilbert spaces and operator algebras. The concept of higher-order temperatures is explained and applied to biological and linguistic systems. The theory of open systems is presented in a new, much more general form. Audience: This volume is intended mainly for theoretical and mathematical physicists, but also for mathematicians, experimental physicists, physical chemists, theoretical biologists, communication engineers, and all those interested in entropy and open systems. It can also be recommended as a supplementary text.

This book is a unique collection of advanced research on natural, human-made, and coupled human–natural systems. The contributors analyze the current state of knowledge, address methodological challenges, and explore engaging cases. The chapters demonstrate the balanced disciplinary strength and discuss interdisciplinary perspectives. The authors undertake a holistic and spatially integrative analysis to understand the sustainability of environmental, economic, and social systems, emphasizing the coupled nature of such systems. In particular, the chapters explore biodiversity conservation and natural resources, the sustainability of natural and human-altered ecosystems, sustainability–vulnerability issues in coupled human–natural systems, mechanisms to foster sustainable environmental practices, eventually accumulating sustainability research and practice in various fields. More than that, the challenges of educational and economic systems are studied closely. The authors rely on unique data, develop regional and local knowledge, and explore global trends at local scales. A separate focus is devoted to human health and well-being.   The book has seven sections: (1) Advances in Natural and Coupled Human–Natural Systems Research; (2) Economic Systems in the Age of Digital Changes and Unstable Environments; (3) Sustainable Social Systems, Migration Flows, and Social Cohesion; (4) Taking Action for Greater Security and Effective Partnerships for Sustainable Development; (5) Systemic Challenges and Changes in Education Systems in Russia and Around the Globe; (6) Advances in Cultural Traditions and Innovation, Development Barriers, and Social Stability; (7) Human Health and Well-being: Taking Action for Sustainable Development.   Written by scholars and practitioners from multiple fields of knowledge, the book is designed for a broader audience interested in the following research areas: systems research and thinking, sustainability research and thinking, system dynamics, management of complexity, decision analysis, organization theory, governance, natural resources, environmental studies, economic development, social policies, cleaner production, innovation, cultural studies, and sustainable practices.  

This book enables readers to develop a multidisciplinary understanding of natural, human-made, and coupled human-natural systems. The authors explore the structure, function, and dynamic mechanisms of various systems, both natural and human-made, as well as analyze their reciprocal interactions under the concept of "coupled human-natural systems." The chapters challenge traditional planning and management assumptions and strategies for natural resources, human-altered systems, and the environment. Acknowledging the critical role of effective regulations, policies, and governance structures, the authors analyze advanced research and practices on policy design for managing natural, human-made, and coupled human-natural systems. They conduct impact evaluation and integrative ecosystems assessment, as well as discuss policy interventions and decision-making strategies. They acknowledge the localization of policy design, considering regional and global dynamics that shape responses of local human-made and coupled human-natural systems. A special collection of chapters analyzes legal foundations for sustainable development and strong institution. The authors explore models from both natural and social sciences to obtain and present significant research results. The book is a dispensable source of sustainability research and practice in human-made, natural, and coupled human-natural systems. It is for the scholars, practitioners, and advanced graduate students interested in systems theories, methodologies, and applications.

This self-contained monograph presents the reader with an authoritative view of Continuous Optimization, an area of mathematical optimization that has experienced major developments during the past 40 years. The book contains results which have not yet been covered in a systematic way as well as a summary of results on NR theory and methods developed over the last several decades. The readership is aimed to graduate students in applied mathematics, computer science, economics, as well as researchers working in optimization and those applying optimization methods for solving real life problems. Sufficient exercises throughout provide graduate students and instructors with practical utility in a two-semester course in Continuous Optimization. The topical coverage includes interior point methods, self-concordance theory and related complexity issues, first and second order methods with accelerated convergence, nonlinear rescaling (NR) theory and exterior point methods, just to mention a few. The book contains a unified approach to both interior and exterior point methods with emphasis of the crucial duality role. One of the main achievements of the book shows what makes the exterior point methods numerically attractive and why. The book is composed in five parts. The first part contains the basics of calculus, convex analysis, elements of unconstrained optimization, as well as classical results of linear and convex optimization. The second part contains the basics of self-concordance theory and interior point methods, including complexity results for LP, QP, and QP with quadratic constraint, semidefinite and conic programming. In the third part, the NR and Lagrangian transformation theories are considered and exterior point methods are described. Three important problems in finding equilibrium are considered in the fourth part. In the fifth and final part of the book, several important applications arising in economics, structural optimization, medicine, statistical learning theory, and more, are detailed. Numerical results, obtained by solving a number of real life and test problems, are also provided.

This book is a collection of cutting-edge and cross-disciplinary studies on natural, human-made, and coupled human-natural systems, addressing the challenge of developing integrated knowledge from multiple disciplines. The authors explore the structure, function, and dynamic mechanisms of various systems, both natural and human-made, as well as analyze their reciprocal interactions under the concept of "coupled human-natural systems." These interactions are used to understand feedback, nonlinearities, thresholds, time lags, legacy effects, and path dependencies, emerging across multiple spatial, temporal, and organizational scales. In other words, this book is a collection of advanced research on unique properties of natural and human-made systems, as well as human-environment dynamics, reciprocal relationships, and cross-scale interactions. The authors outline prospects on building a holistic view of social development and coherent sustainability. Among the topics covered are the following: human networks research; adaptation of local people to social and environmental challenges; coupled dynamics of socioeconomic and environmental systems; critical issues in social science climate change research; education for greater sustainability; peace, justice, and strong institutions; advances in cultural traditions and strategies for social stability; innovative development and barriers to sustainable development; economic systems in the age of digital changes and unstable external environments. The scholars analyze how more effective technologies can enhance resilience, reduce vulnerability, and minimize human impacts on natural systems, taking into consideration critical thresholds to prevent harmful feedback to human systems. The authors grasp the complexity of systems by integrating knowledge of constituent subsystems and their interactions. The framework developed by the authors is used to integrate human and natural systems for achieving greater sustainability, covering critical threats, challenges, and best governance approaches and practices. The research results obtained from studies on coupled human-natural systems are stronger, the authors argue, if compared with traditional (discipline) approaches.

Participatory Modelling for Resilient Futures: Action for Managing Our Environment from the Bottom-Up, Volume One provides an important contribution to environmental management by introducing an integrative framework for participatory research for better land use and natural resource planning, organized around compelling recent case studies. It is a valuable guide for the increasing number of students looking for solutions in sustainability science and also practitioners who are on the ground working with local communities to improve specific places. The book was developed in response to the need to provide a clear and synthetic account, in accessible and non-technical language, of the way in which innovative integrative research can help solve real world human-environment interaction problems at a range of levels and scales, e.g., participatory modelling to secure a sustainable future for a natural protected area, working with stakeholders to break the deadlock on renewable energy implementation in Europe or tackling social exclusion and reducing food carbon footprint through local agroecology schemes.