During the past 25 years computers have been introduced in industry to perform technical tasks such as drafting, design, process planning, data acquisition, process control, and quality assurance. Computerized solutions nevertheless have normally been single, isolated devices within a manufacturing plant. Computer technology is still evolving rapidly. The life cycle of todays' products and production methods is shortening, with continuously increasing requirements of customers, and a trend to market interrelations between companies at a national and international level. This urges a need for efficient storage retrieval and exchange of information. Integration of information flow is urgent inside companies to closely connect together departments, which used to work, more or less, on their own. On the other hand direct communication with outside customers, suppliers, and partner institutions will often determine the position of an enterprise among the competitors. In this sense, computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) is the key of today for the competitiveness of tomorrow. But the realisation of a future oriented CIM concept is not possible without powerful, widely accepted, and standardised interfaces. They are the vital issue on the way to CIM. They will contribute to harmonise data structures and information flows and play a major role for open CIM systems. Standardised interfaces should allow for: Access to data produced and archived on computing equipment which is no longer in active use; Communication between hardware and software from different vendors; Paperless exchange of information.

This book examines the treatment of space and narrative in a selection of classic films including "My Darling Clementine," "It's a Wonderful Life," and "Vertigo." Deborah Thomas employs a variety of arguments in exploring the reading of space and its meaning in Hollywood cinema and film generally. Topics covered include the importance of space in defining genre (such as the necessity of an urban landscape for a gangster film to be a gangster film); the ambiguity of offscreen space and spectatorship (how an audience reads an unseen but inferred setting), and the use of spatially disruptive cinematic techniques such as flashback to construct meaning.

While there has been considerable research on lesbian and/or gay parenting, very little research has focused on how the children of lesbian and gay parents negotiate between their family identity and the definitions of family imposed by society. Families headed by gay and lesbian parents do not fit into a "traditional," ideologically-driven definition of family - rendering them virtually invisible due to their lack of representation in the media, school curriculum, and "normal" society. This book is an exploration of the concept of family as it was defined by six early adolescents and their lesbian parents. In an era with increased political and social tension surrounding issues of gay and lesbian marriage rights and validity for same sex parents, this qualitative study explored how these youth experience the disjunctures between their family identity and the definitions of family imposed by the larger society. The authors of this study, informed by queer theory and inquiry, conclude that identity is not realized through definitive and rigid boundaries but within and between these locations. This book is addressed to counselors, educators, and researchers interested in understanding, and even promoting, social justice for those living in diverse family structures.

Travel Tips by Deborah Thomas is the perfect companion for planning and enjoying a great vacation. Airline, hotel, and rental car information is included along with important phone numbers and web addresses. Use the handy checklists to make sure that nothing is overlooked. A section on traveling with children gives tips for making the trip enjoyable for everyone. Record all of the fun and memories on the journal pages. Although Travel Tips contains basic information regarding passports, it is primarily geared toward travel in the United States. Travel Tips is compact enough to fit easily into a purse, bag, or glove compartment. After 29 years as an educator and traveler, Deborah has compiled a book that will turn anyone into a organized vacationer. You can enjoy your trip, knowing you are prepared for anything!

In his shorter fiction, Dickens felt free to investigate themes and experiment with narrative techniques in ways denied him by the constraints of novel-writing. In this selection, a literary master is brilliantly indulging the very essence of his art. His exuberant sense of comedy is allowed free rein and his exploration of the secret workings of the human psyche often surpasses anything in his longer work. Divided into three sections - Tales of the Supernatural, Impressionistic Sketches and Dramatic Monologues - this volume reveals Dickens's recurring concerns and places them clearly in the context of related elements in his novels.