This book introduces and analyses the latest maximum power point tracking (MPPT) techniques, which can effectively reduce the cost of power generated from photovoltaic energy systems. It also presents a detailed description, analysis, and comparison of various MPPT techniques applied to stand-alone systems and those interfaced with electric utilities, examining their performance under normal and abnormal operating conditions. These techniques, which and can be conventional or smart, are a current hot topic, and this book is a valuable reference resource for academic researchers and industry professionals who are interested in exploring and implementing advanced MPPT for photovoltaic systems. It is also useful for graduate students who are looking to expand their knowledge of MPPT techniques.

The huge consumption of earth's natural resources and the reliance on industrial manufactured products have produced significant impacts on the environment. As such, new strategies must be adopted in order to support the protection and continued development of numerous natural resources. Mechanical Properties of Natural Fiber Reinforced Polymers: Emerging Research and Opportunities is a critical scholarly resource that examines green energy sources and material enhancements that will help to solve ecological problems. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics, such as harvesting techniques, origins of natural fibers, and modeling for textile composites, this book is geared towards engineers, researchers, scholars, and graduate students in the fields of materials science and engineering.

Throughout world history, what human beings ate was determined by what local producers cultivated, and what they planted was determined by seasonal cycles. After the harvest, farmers reclaimed the seeds so that they could replant them the following season. Today, however, these age-old practices that guided countless generations are becoming extinct. What we eat, the quality of our food, and even the tastes that we develop are dictated by powerful corporations who are driven by the profit motive. This book investigates the corporate dominance of the world's seed supply. The seed is nature's gift and the first link in the food chain. This life form is becoming the exclusive intellectual property of the corporation. The advent of genetically modified seeds and strict patent protection accorded to them enable companies to own the seed even after the farmer has bought, planted, and harvested the seed. Multinational corporations have a monopoly control over seeds and the accompanying pesticides which is leading to monocultures in the food system and the disappearance of traditional methods of farming. Local producers are forced to buy seeds each year, thereby fostering a feudalistic relationship of perpetual dependence. An imbalance of power has emerged and farmers are transformed from producers to consumers by these new arrangements. The leap to embrace biotechnology and genetically modified foods has been quite swift and conducted without the public's knowledge. The food that our stomachs ingest may be increasingly bad for us. Case studies from four developing countries are presented for consideration.

This edited book analyses and discusses the current issues of integration of wind energy systems in the power systems. It collects recent studies in the area, focusing on numerous issues including unbalanced grid voltages, low-voltage ride-through and voltage stability of the grid. It also explores the impact of the emerging technologies of wind turbines and power converters in the integration of wind power systems in power systems. This book utilizes the editors' expertise in the energy sector to provide a comprehensive text that will be of interest to researchers, graduate students and industry professionals.

The growing demand of energy accounting in industries is the main challenge for academics and engineers working in chemical processing plants, food industries, and the energy sector. Applied Thermodynamics in Unit Operations: Solved Examples on Energy, Exergy and Economic Analyses of Processes addresses this demand and offers a clear contribution to the quantification of energy consumption in processes, while also solving the economic aspects of energy that are vital in real-life industrial contexts. Features: • Combines the energy and exergy routines to analyze utilities and unit operations in a wide range of engineering scopes: nozzles, turbines, compressors, evaporators, HVAC, drying technology, steam handling, and power generation. • Offers a detailed procedure of finding economic wealth of energy in the operations. • Discusses basic concepts of thermal engineering and industrial operational insights through practiced examples, schematic illustrations, and software codes. • The only book to include practical problems of industrial operations solved in detail and complementary EES codes for the solutions. • Features examples selected from authors’ real-world experience in industrial projects. The book is a handy reference for researchers and practitioners in the areas of process, chemical, and mechanical engineering, undergraduate and postgraduate students in those disciplines, and engineers working in industry and production managers. Some examples are solved in EES to help the audience apply computer coding for thermal calculations.

The modern wireless communication industry has put great demands on circuit designers for smaller, cheaper transceivers in the gigahertz frequency range. One tool which has assisted designers in satisfying these requirements is the use of on-chip inductiveelements (inductors and transformers) in silicon (Si) radio-frequency (RF) integrated circuits (ICs). These elements allow greatly improved levels of performance in Si monolithic low-noise amplifiers, power amplifiers, up-conversion and down-conversion mixers and local oscillators. Inductors can be used to improve the intermodulation distortion performance and noise figure of small-signal amplifiers and mixers. In addition, the gain of amplifier stages can be enhanced and the realization of low-cost on-chip local oscillators with good phase noise characteristics is made feasible. In order to reap these benefits, it is essential that the IC designer be able to predict and optimize the characteristics of on-chip inductiveelements. Accurate knowledge of inductance values, quality factor (Q) and the influence of ad- cent elements (on-chip proximity effects) and substrate losses is essential. In this book the analysis, modeling and application of on-chip inductive elements is considered. Using analyses based on Maxwells equations, an accurate and efficient technique is developed to model these elements over a wide frequency range. Energy loss to the conductive substrate is modeled through several mechanisms, including electrically induced displacement and conductive c- rents and by magnetically induced eddy currents. These techniques have been compiled in a user-friendly software tool ASITIC (Analysis and Simulation of Inductors and Transformers for Integrated Circuits).

This book compiles and presents the research results from the past five years in mm-wave Silicon circuits. This area has received a great deal of interest from the research community including several university and research groups. The book covers device modeling, circuit building blocks, phased array systems, and antennas and packaging. It focuses on the techniques that uniquely take advantage of the scale and integration offered by silicon based technologies.

This book reports on advanced theories and cutting-edge applications in the field of soft computing. The individual chapters, written by leading researchers, are based on contributions presented during the 4th World Conference on Soft Computing, held May 25-27, 2014, in Berkeley. The book covers a wealth of key topics in soft computing, focusing on both fundamental aspects and applications. The former include fuzzy mathematics, type-2 fuzzy sets, evolutionary-based optimization, aggregation and neural networks, while the latter include soft computing in data analysis, image processing, decision-making, classification, series prediction, economics, control, and modeling. By providing readers with a timely, authoritative view on the field, and by discussing thought-provoking developments and challenges, the book will foster new research directions in the diverse areas of soft computing.

The book reports on the latest advances and challenges of soft computing. Itgathers original scientific contributions written by top scientists in the fieldand covering theories, methods and applications in a number of research areas related to soft-computing, such as decision-making, probabilistic reasoning, image processing, control, neural networks and data analysis."

This book addresses the needs of professional and amateur taxonomists on the subject of ascidians in Asia. This is the first book of its kind and features color illustrations done by the authors in Asia. This book provides a brief overview of ascidians in addition to both the taxonomy and distribution of ascidians along India's southern coast. It also opens a new arena for marine researchers in the field of ascidians in Asia. This book is the outcome of the authors' 15 years of research experience in the field of ascidians, making it very helpful for researchers, coastal planners, port authorities and the proper management of coastal thermal plants and atomic power plants.

This book is a tribute to Lotfi A. Zadeh, the father of fuzzy logic, on the occasion of his 90th Birthday. The book gathers original scientific contributions written by top scientists and presenting the latest theories, applications and new trends in the fascinating and challenging field of soft computing.

Marking the 200th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, The Division of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology hosted a group of about 90 scientists from 15 different countries to discuss the new trends in radiopharmaceutical synthesis, quality assurance and regulatory control. This event took place in Washington, D.C. on August 27-30, 1990. When I first suggested the idea for this symposium, a group of scientists who pioneered the proposed topics offered their help to organize and run such a big task with me. Their names are listed here in appreciation. Thomas E. Boothe Cyclotron Facility, Mt. Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach, Florida, USA Robert F. Dannals Division of Nuclear Medicine, The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland, USA Anthony L. Feliu Julich Nuclear Research Center, Julich, Germany Joanna S. Fowler Chemistry Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA George W. Kabalka Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA Hank F. Kung Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA James F. Lamb Imagents, Inc., Houston, Texas, USA Harold A. O'Brien, Jr. Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA Joseph R. Peterson Dept. of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA Hernan Vera Ruiz International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria Roy S. Tilbury University of Texas, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA In addition, a number of distinguished colleagues have participated in the process of reviewing the manuscripts presented in this volume. Their effort is sincerely acknowledged.

This book presents a detailed description, analysis, comparison of the latest research and developments in photovoltaic energy. Discussing everything from semiconductors to system integration, and applying various advanced technologies to stand alone and electric utility interfaced in normal and abnormal operating conditions of PV systems, this book provides a thorough introduction to the topic. This book brings together research from around the world, covering the use of technologies such as embedded systems, the Internet of things and blockchain technologies for PV systems for different applications including controllers, solar trackers and cooling systems. The book is of interest to electronic and mechanical engineers, researchers and students in the field of photovoltaics.

To continue the support for the growing trend of chemistry involvement in nuclear medicine, the Division of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology (DNCT) of the American Chemical Society (ACS) planned for a symposium to cover this aspect. This was expressed in arequest to me, as a member of the Program Committee, to organize a symposium on topics related to nuclear and radiochemistry applications to nuclear medicine. Realizing the growing interest in imaging, specially with positron emitting radioisotopes, I invited several colleagues to study with me the idea of imaging centers and the involvement of chemists in their structure and function. The formulated Organizing Committee supported this idea which evolved in proposing an extended international symposium to be held in conjunction with the 206th ACS National meeting in Chicago, Illinois, U. S. A. on August 22-27, 1993. The following are the members of the Organizing Committee: Jorge R. Barrio, Ph. D. Thomas E. Boothe, Ph. D. J. Robert Dahl, Ph. D. Robert F. Dannals, Ph. D. Bruce R. Erdal, Ph. D. Mark M. Goodman, Ph. D. George W. Kabalka, Ph. D. James F. Lamb, Ph. D. Ronald G. Manning, Ph. D. Henry C. Padgett, Ph. D. Roy S. Tilbury, Ph. D. Steven W. Yates, Ph. D. and Ali M. Emran, Ph. D.

This book provides a comprehensive analysis of Waqf management and its impact on socio-economic development, specifically financial inclusion and sustainable development as well as of the legal issues in Waqf management in IsDB member countries and jurisdictions. It explores various aspects of Waqf management in IsDB member countries/jurisdictions as well as in non-Muslim majority countries such as Waqf regulation, its modernization, and relationship to Maqasid Al-Shari'ah; performance of Waqf activities; time and activity-wise distribution of Waqf resource management; the antecedents and consequences of Waqf assets (both physical and cash); the strategies and models to promote Waqf related activities for greater socio-economic development; good governance practices through the formulation of informed policies for Waqf projects, among others. Comprising different issues and perspectives adopted by various researchers, the work is specifically designed to meet the needs of academics and industry practitioners in the field of Islamic finance.

This book explores the various aspects of Waqf management in IsDB member countries/jurisdictions as well as in non-Muslim majority countries. Topics covered include Waqf regulation, its modernization and relationship to Maqasid Al-Shari'ah; performance of Waqf activities; time and activity-wise distribution of Waqf resource management; the antecedents and consequences of Waqf assets (both physical and cash); the strategies and models to promote Waqf-related activities for greater socio-economic development; good governance practices through the formulation of informed policies for Waqf projects; the confluence of Waqf, zakah, charity, and Islamic microfinance impacting socio-economic development and so on. Comprising different issues and perspectives adopted by various authors/researchers, the book is specifically designed to meet the needs of academics and industry practitioners in the field of Islamic finance to provide general and Shari'ah guidelines on the emerging issues within the subject.

This book examines the role of Iranian intellectuals in the history of Iranian modernity. It traces the contributions of intellectuals in the construction of national identity and the Iranian democratic debate, analyzing how intellectuals balanced indebtedness to the West with the issue of national identity in Iran. Recognizing how intellectual elites became beholden to political powers, the contributors demonstrate the trend that intellectuals often opted for cultural dissent rather than ideological politics.

This book is a collection of papers presented during the 8th World Conference on Soft Computing in February 2022. The papers cover multiple areas important for soft computing. Some papers are dedicated to fundamental aspects of soft computing, i.e., fuzzy mathematics, type-2 fuzzy sets, evolutionary-based optimization, aggregation, and neural networks. Others emphasize the application of soft computing methods to data analysis, image processing, decision-making, classification, series prediction, economics, control, and modeling.

Throughout world history, what human beings ate was determined by what local producers cultivated, and what they planted was determined by seasonal cycles. After the harvest, farmers reclaimed the seeds so that they could replant them the following season. Today, however, these age-old practices that guided countless generations are becoming extinct. What we eat, the quality of our food, and even the tastes that we develop are dictated by powerful corporations who are driven by the profit motive. This book investigates the corporate dominance of the world's seed supply. The seed is nature's gift and the first link in the food chain. This life form is becoming the exclusive intellectual property of the corporation. The advent of genetically modified seeds and strict patent protection accorded to them enable companies to own the seed even after the farmer has bought, planted, and harvested the seed. Multinational corporations have a monopoly control over seeds and the accompanying pesticides which is leading to monocultures in the food system and the disappearance of traditional methods of farming. Local producers are forced to buy seeds each year, thereby fostering a feudalistic relationship of perpetual dependence. An imbalance of power has emerged and farmers are transformed from producers to consumers by these new arrangements. The leap to embrace biotechnology and genetically modified foods has been quite swift and conducted without the public's knowledge. The food that our stomachs ingest may be increasingly bad for us. Case studies from four developing countries are presented for consideration.

Both revolutionary and reactionary, the Islamic Republic of Iran has long been a conundrum for Western observers. A theocracy that aspires to a popular mandate; an anti-colonial state with imperial pretensions of its own: modern Iran is in many ways a reflection of its struggle to reconcile its traditions with the challenges of modernity.   In this incisive book, globally renowned scholar of Iran Ali Ansari takes readers on a journey through the country’s turbulent history. Beginning with Iran’s fall from grace as a Great Power in the late 19th century, he explores its repeated attempts to modernise in a series of revolutionary movements from the Constitutional Revolution of 1906 to the Islamic Revolution of 1979 and the civil unrest that is breaking out today.   From staunch ally to implacable foe, this book reveals how the experience of history and Iran’s encounter with ‘modernity’ have come to define it – and set it on an authoritarian path in confrontation with the West and, often, its own people.

This book examines recent trends towards mergers and acquisitions in Japan, Greater China and Southeast Asia from 1990 to 2004. Comparisons are made among regions and between countries of particular regions.

The economic profiles and investment climates of key countries are discussed and many issues are examined from the perspectives of US-based and UK-based investors because they play significant roles in Mergers and Acquisitions activities in all regions of the world.

The practices and management strategies in Asia are also compared with those observed in the United States and the United Kingdom where appropriate.

Both revolutionary and reactionary, the Islamic Republic of Iran has long been a conundrum for Western observers. A theocracy that aspires to a popular mandate; an anti-colonial state with imperial pretensions of its own: modern Iran is in many ways a reflection of its struggle to reconcile its traditions with the challenges of modernity.   In this incisive book, globally renowned scholar of Iran Ali Ansari takes readers on a journey through the country’s turbulent history. Beginning with Iran’s fall from grace as a Great Power in the late 19th century, he explores its repeated attempts to modernise in a series of revolutionary movements from the Constitutional Revolution of 1906 to the Islamic Revolution of 1979 and the civil unrest that is breaking out today.   From staunch ally to implacable foe, this book reveals how the experience of history and Iran’s encounter with ‘modernity’ have come to define it – and set it on an authoritarian path in confrontation with the West and, often, its own people.

The election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the presidency of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the summer of 2005 thrust Iran into the international limelight in a way that few would have predicted. Robust, confrontational and given to bombastic rhetoric, Ahmadinejad has drawn condemnation from the West and praise from the Middle Eastern street in almost equal measure. This Paper looks at the details of his political rise and assesses his presidency to date within the context of the dynamics of Iranian politics. Examining the key themes of his presidency, it assesses the effectiveness of his policies and analyzes his populist approach, in particular his use of nationalism and the cult of the Twelfth Imam. The author argues that Ahmadinejad, far from retrenching the conservative values of the early revolution, is very much a product of the social and political changes which have occurred since the end of the Iran Iraq War; that his populism in both politics and economics, along with the maintenance of a confrontational posture abroad, represents an ad hoc, and somewhat incoherent, attempt to disguise the growing contradictions which afflict the Islamic Republic, and the conservative vision of an unaccountable Islamic autocracy in the face of growing dissatisfaction, especially among key sections of thete.