With Taiwan's Kuomintang (KMT) regaining power from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on May 20, 2008, both Beijing and Taipei have been adjusting their policies toward each other. However, these recent changes can be seen as part of the overall ongoing process of policy adjustment in both Beijing and Taipei in response to changing domestic and external conditions since 1979. This book explores the process of policy adjustment and institutional change on both sides of the Taiwan Straits since 1979 and offers policy recommendations. By presenting a comparative and balanced discussion of cross-Straits relations from both mainland Chinese and Taiwanese perspectives, this work will help readers gain an enhanced understanding of this controversial issue.

Traditionally, engineers look to established safety factors to build sound structures, but the process is inefficient and often yields less than the desired results. This reference presents a different approach, allowing structural engineers to overcome the unpredictability of traditional modeling systems by developing sophisticated equation sets to solve specific structural problems.