Interdisciplinary studies Books

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisThis is a survey of the evolving relationship between China and Denmark since first contact was made. One area that should be of particular interest to non-Danes is how the non-imperialistic Danish approach to China wrought a different perception of, and relationship with, the Chinese.Table of ContentsAntecedents - when Denmark discovered China; Dronningen af Danmark's journey to China 1742 - an example of the early Danish China trade; Denmark's China policy 1845-64; establishment of a Danish legislation in China; trade in command - Denmark's China policy 1912-49; wires, codes and people - the Great Northern Telegraph Company in China 1870-90; Danish trade with China 1900-49; diplomatic and political relations between Denmark and PRC 1949-94; trade and economic relations between Denmark and China 1949-94; trade and economic relations between Denmark and Taiwan 1949-95.

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Book SynopsisMany chemists and biochemists require to know the ionization constants of organic acids and bases. This is evident from the Science Citation Index which lists The Determination of Ionization Constants by A. Albert and E. P. Serjeant (1971) as one of the most widely quoted books in the chemical literature. Although, ultimately, there is no satisfactory alternative to experimental measurement, it is not always convenient or practicable to make the necessary measure­ ments and calculations. Moreover, the massive pK. compilations currently available provide values for only a small fraction of known or possible acids or bases. For example, the compilations listed in Section 1. 3 give pK. data for some 6 000--8 000 acids, whereas if the conservative estimate is made that there are one hundred different substituent groups available to substitute in the benzene ring of benzoic acid, approximately five million tri-substituted benzoic acids are theoretically possible. Thus we have long felt that it is useful to consider methods by which a pK. value might be predicted as an interim value to within several tenths of a pH unit using arguments based on linear free energy relationships, by analogy, by extrapolation, by interpolation from existing data, or in some other way. This degree of precision may be adequate for many purposes such as the recording of spectra of pure species (as anion, neutral molecule or cation), for selection of conditions favourable to solvent extraction, and for the interpretation of pH-profiles for organic reactions.Table of Contents1 Introduction.- 2 Molecular factors that modify pKa values.- 3 Methods of pKa prediction.- 4 Prediction of pKa values of substituted aliphatic acids and bases.- 5 Prediction of pKa values for phenols, aromatic carboxylic acids and aromatic amines.- 6 Further applications of Hammett and Taft equations.- 7 Some more difficult cases.- 8 Extension of the Hammett and Taft equations.- 9 Examples where prediction presents difficulties.- 10 Recapitulation of the main pKa prediction methods.- A.1 Substituent constants for the Hammett and Taft equations.- A.4 Special sigma constants for para substituents.- A.6 Sigma constants for heteroatoms in heterocyclic rings.- References.

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Book SynopsisTaxonomy is an ever-changing, controversial and exCitmg field of biology. It has not remained motionless since the days of its founding fathers in the last century, but, just as with other fields of endeavour, it continues to advance in leaps and bounds, both in procedure and in philosophy. These changes are not only of interest to other taxonomists, but have far reaching implications for much of the rest of biology, and they have the potential to reshape a great deal of current biological thought, because taxonomy underpins much of biological methodology. It is not only important that an ethologist. physiologist. biochemist or ecologist can obtain information about the identities of the species which they are investigating; biology is also uniquely dependent on the comparative method and on the need to generalize. Both of these necessitate knowledge of the evolutionary relationships between organisms. and it is the science of taxonomy that can develop testable phylogenetic hypotheses and ultimately provide the best estimates of evolutionary history and relationships.Table of Contents1 Introduction.- 1.1 The compass of taxonomy and systematics.- 1.2 The 1960s and the emergence of new ideas.- 1.3 Cladistics and numerical taxonomy: the conflict.- 1.4 Assumptions and philosophy of cladistics and the use of parsimony criteria.- 1.5 Taxonomy and the comparative method in biology.- 2 Characters, Taxa and Species.- 2.1 Nature and handling of data.- 2.2 Characters.- 2.2.1 Discrete coding of continuous characters and ratios.- 2.2.2 Identifying primitive and advanced character states.- 2.2.3 Homoplasy: convergence, parallelisms and reversals.- 2.2.4 Homology versus analogy.- 2.2.5 Character state transitions.- 2.2.6 Dealing with missing data and polymorphic characters.- 2.3 Classes of characters requiring special consideration.- 2.3.1 Characters subject to strong selection pressures.- 2.3.2 Environmental effects.- 2.3.3 Molecular sequence characters.- 2.3.4 Electron microscopy and the use of microcharacters.- 2.3.5 Colour as a taxonomic character.- 2.3.6 Cryptic and internal characters.- 2.3.7 Animal artefacts.- 2.3.8 Behavioural characters.- 2.4 Taxa and species concepts.- 2.4.1 Phylogenetic groups: monophyly, polyphyly and paraphyly.- 2.5 What is a species?.- 2.5.1 Biological species concept.- 2.5.2 Phvlogenetic species concept.- 2.5.3 Evolutionary species concept.- 2.5.4 Problems with parthenogenetic species and asexual clones — some further considerations.- 3 Phylogenetic Reconstruction — Cladistics and Related Methods.- 3.1 Cladistics and cladograms.- 3.1.1 Parsimony.- 3.1.2 Compatibility analysis.- 3.1.3 Maximum likelihood and related methods.- 3.2 Parsimony and finding the shortest trees.- 3.2.1 Finding the shortest trees and the impact of computerization.- 3.2.2 Tree facts and figures.- 3.2.3 Building trees from distance data.- 3.2.4 Rooting trees.- 3.2.5 Consistency and other indices.- 3.2.6 Weighting characters.- 3.2.7 Coping with multiple trees.- 3.2.8 Consensus trees.- 3.2.9 Comparing trees.- 3.3 Which method? — an overview.- 3.3.1 How well does parsimony analysis estimate trees?.- 3.3.2 Compatibility versus parsimony.- 3.3.3 Congruence between data sets (or how do we know when to believe a phylogeny?).- 3.3.4 Reticulate evolution, hybrids and intraspecific evolution.- 3.4 Cladistics and classification.- 4 Phenetic Methods in Taxonomy.- 4.1 Introduction.- 4.1.1 Similarity and distance measures.- 4.1.2 Measures using binary characters.- 4.1.3 Distance and similarity measures using continuous data.- 4.2 Analysing similarity and distance data.- 4.3 Hierarchic clustering procedures.- 4.3.1 Nearest neighbour clustering.- 4.3.2 Furthest neighbour (complete linkage).- 4.3.3 Unweighted pair-group method using arithmetic averages (UPGMA).- 4.3.4 Weighted pair-group method using arithmetic averages (WPGMA).- 4.3.5 Centroid clustering.- 4.4 Ordination methods.- 4.4.1 Principal components analysis.- 4.4.2 Principal coordinate analysis.- 4.4.3 Canonical variate analysis.- 4.4.4 Non-metric multidimensional scaling.- 5 Keys and Identification.- 5.1 Introduction.- 5.1.1 Purpose of keys.- 5.1.2 Good practice in writing keys.- 5.2 Types of keys.- 5.2.1 Dichotomous keys.- 5.2.2 Multiple-entry keys.- 5.3 Efficiency.- 5.3.1 Length of dichotomous keys.- 5.3.2 Reliability.- 5.3.3 Choice of characters.- 5.3.4 Likelihood of encountering taxon.- 5.4 Computerized key construction.- 5.4.1 Interactive identification.- 5.4.2 Matching.- 5.4.3 Automated taxon descriptions.- 5.4.4 Databases.- 6 Nomenclature and Classification.- 6.1 Introduction.- 6.2 The binomial system and the hierarchy of taxa.- 6.3 The International Commissions.- 6.3.1 Codes of nomenclature.- 6.3.2 Independence of the Codes.- 6.4 Basic principles of nomenclature.- 6.4.1 Priority.- 6.4.2 Synonymy.- 6.4.3 Homonymy.- 6.4.4 The type concept.- 6.5 Miscellaneous group-related factors.- 6.5.1 Animals and animal-like Protista.- 6.5.2 Plants and plant-like Protista.- 6.5.3 Fungi.- 6.5.4 Lichens.- 6.5.5 ‘Blue-green algae’ (Cyanophyta versus Cyanobacteria).- 6.5.6 Bacteria and other prokaryotes.- 6.5.7 Viruses.- 6.5.8 Organisms showing extreme polymorphisms.- 6.6 Names of higher groups.- 6.7 Starting dates for nomenclature.- 6.8 Citation of authors.- 6.9 Publication.- 6.10 Type depositories.- 6.11 Good practice.- 6.12 Major taxonomic publications.- 7 Cytotaxonomy.- 7.1 Introduction.- 7.2 Karyotypes.- 7.3 Chromosome banding.- 7.4 Chiasma frequency.- 7.5 Inversions. translocations and their significance.- 7.6In situhybridization.- 8 Chemotaxonomy and Related Topics.- 8.1 Origins of chemotaxonomy.- 8.2 Classes of compounds and their biological significance.- 8.2.1 Sex pheromones.- 8.2.2 Lipids and hydrocarbons.- 8.2.3 Secondary plant metabolites.- 8.2.4 Neurotransmitters.- 8.2.5 Pigments.- 8.2.6 Animal toxins.- 8.2.7 Pyrolysis products.- 8.3 Fermentation properties and drug resistance in microorganisms.- 8.4 The use of chemical data.- 9 Immunotaxonomy.- 9.1 History.- 9.2 Precipitin reaction.- 9.3 Immunodiffusion.- 9.4 Immunoelectrophoresis.- 9.5 Microcomplement fixation (MC’F).- 9.6 Use of monoclonal antibodies.- 9.7 Radioimmunoassay.- 9.8 Analysis of immunological data.- 10 Proteins and Taxonomy.- 10.1 Introduction.- 10.2 Techniques of protein electrophoresis.- 10.2.1 SDS polyacrylamide electrophoresis.- 10.2.2 Gradient gel electrophoresis.- 10.2.3 Isoelectric focusing.- 10.2.4 Two-dimensional electrophoresis.- 10.3 Systematic aspects of electrophoresis.- 10.3.1 Isozymes and allozymes.- 10.3.2 Interpreting allozyme banding.- 10,3.3 Analysis of allozyme data.- 10.3.4 Isozymes at subspecies, species and genus level.- 10.4 Chemical protein analysis procedures.- 10.4. I Selective cutting of protein chains.- 10.4.2 Chromatography of digests.- 10.4.3 Amino acid sequencing.- 10.5 Analysis of amino acid sequence data.- 10.5.1 Minimum nucleotide replacement.- 10.5.2 Merits of minimum nucleotide replacement analysis.- 11 Nucleic Acid Methods.- 11.1 Nucleic acids in taxonomy.- 11.2 Nucleic acids in cells.- 11.2.1 Nuclear DNA.- 11.2.2 Repetitive DNA.- 11.2.3 Mitochondrial DNA.- 11.2.4 Chloroplast DNA.- 11.2.5 Ribosomal RNA and ribosomal genes.- 11.2.6 Transfer RNAs and the genetic code.- 11.2.7 Prokaryote and viral genomes.- 11.3 Amplifying DNA and dealing with small samples.- 11.3.1 Cloning.- 11.3.2 Polymerase chain reaction.- 11.4 G+C content.- 11.5 Restriction fragment analysis.- 11.6 DNA hybridization.- 11.6.1 Interpretation of DNA hybridization data.- 11.7 Sequencing and associated methods.- 11.8 Conservation versus variability.- 11.9 Analysing sequence data.- 11.9.1 Sequence alignment.- 11.9.2 Transition and transversion rates.- 11.9.3 Insertions and deletions.- 11.9.4 Paired and unpaired nucleotides in tRNAs and rRNAs.- 11.9.5 A brief overview of the phylogenetic analysis of sequence data.- 11.10 Pros and cons of hybridization and sequencing.- 11.11 Fossil DNA.- 12 Palaeotaxonomy, Biogeography, Evolution and Extinction.- 12.1 Palaeotaxonomy.- 12.1.1 Completeness of the fossil record.- 12.1.2 Interpretation of evidence.- 12.1.3 The palaeo-species concept.- 12.1.4 Phylogenetic analysis and classification of fossil taxa.- 12.1.5 Phylogenetic aspects of fossil taxa.- 12.1.6 Inclusion in classification of extant organisms.- 12.1.7 Stratigraphy, evolutionary rates and molecular clocks.- 12.2 Biogeography.- 12.3 Coevolution.- 12.4 Phylogenetic trees and the pattern of evolution.- 13 Museums, Herbaria, Biodiversity, Conservation and the Future of Taxonomy.- 13.1 Museums and their roles.- 13.1.1 Management of museum collections.- 13.1.2 Museum funding.- 13.1.3 Specimens and data.- 13.1.4 Living culture collections.- 13.1.5 Voucher specimens.- 13.2 The future of taxonomy.- 13.2.1 Biodiversity and conservation priorities.- 13.2.2 Taxonomy, zoos and captive breeding.- 13.2.3 Taxonomy and legislation.

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Table of ContentsI: The ICMI Study Conference.- Discussion Document.- List of Participants.- What is the Specific Object of Study in Mathematics Education? Report of Working Group 1.- What are the Aims of Research in Mathematics Education? Report of Working Group 2.- What are the Specific Research Questions or Problématiques of Research in Mathematics Education? Report of Working Group 3.- What are the Results of Research in Mathematics Education? Report of Working Group 4.- What Criteria Should Be Used to Evaluate the Results of Research in Mathematics Education? Report of Working Group 5.- Research, Effectiveness, and the Practitioners’ World.- II: Mathematics Education as a Research Discipline.- A Glance Over the Evolution of Research in Mathematics Education.- Balancing Complex Human Worlds: Mathematics Education as an Emergent Discipline in its Own Right.- A Postmodern Perspective on Research in Mathematics Education.- Mathematics Education as a ‘Design Science’.- What is Mathematics Education? A Survey of Mathematics Educators in Canada.- Programs for the Education of Researchers in Mathematics Education.- III: Goals, Orientations and Results of Research in Mathematics Education.- The Aims of Research.- Aiming Research Toward Understanding: Lessons We Can Learn From Children.- Transforming the International Mathematics Education Research Agenda.- Clarifying the Meaning of Mathematical Objects as a Priority Area for Research in Mathematics Education.- Research and Results in Mathematics Education: Some Contradictory Aspects.- Models in Mathematics Education Research: A Broader View of Research Results.- Towards a Cognitive Theory of Practice.- IV: Different Research Paradigms in Mathematics Education.- Italian Trends in Research in Mathematical Education: A National Case Study from an International Perspective.- The Paradigm of Modeling by Iterative Conceptualization in Mathematics Education Research.- Developmental Research as a Research Method.- Practitioner Research and the Construction of Knowledge in Mathematics Education.- On the Generation of Basic Ideas and Individual Images: Normative, Descriptive and Constructive Aspects.- Research on Socio-Cultural Perspectives of Mathematics Teaching and Learning.- Relations between the Theoretical Field and the Practical Field in Mathematics Education.- Researching from the Inside in Mathematics Education.- The Social Organization of Research Programs in Mathematical Sciences Education.- Mathematics Education Research as Socially and Culturally Situated.- V: Evaluation of Research in Mathematics Education.- Evaluating Research Papers in Mathematics Education.- Basic Criteria for Research in Mathematics Education.- The Ship of Theseus and Other Metaphors for Thinking about What We Value in Mathematics Education Research.- Ethics in Mathematics Education Research.- VI: Mathematics Education and Mathematics.- A Mathematician’s View of Research in Mathematics Education: An Interview with Shimshon A. Amitsur.- What Should be the Output of Mathematical Education?.- Research in Mathematics Education Through the Eyes of Mathematicians.- The Many Faces of Mathematics: Do Mathematicians and Researchers in Mathematics Education Speak about the Same Thing?.- Epistemological Constraints of Mathematical Knowledge in Social Learning Settings.- Continuing the Search.- Notes on Authors.

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Book SynopsisWhen the four of us decided to collaborate to write this book on pneumatic conveying, there were two aspects which were of some concern. Firstly, how could four people, who live on four different continents, write a book on a fairly complex subject with such wide lines of communications? Secondly, there was the problem that two of the authors are chemical engineers. It has been noted that the majority of chemical engineers who work in the field of pneumatic conveying research have spent most of their time considering flow in vertical pipes. As such, there was some concern that the book might be biased towards vertical pneumatic conveying and that the horizontal aspects (which are clearly the most difficult!) would be somewhat neglected. We hope that you, as the reader, are going to be satisfied with the fact that you have a truly international dissertation on pneumatic conveying and, also, that there is an even spread between the theoretical and practical aspects of pneumatic conveying technology.Table of Contents1 An overview of pneumatic conveying systems and performance.- 1.1 Introduction.- 1.2 Why pneumatic conveying?.- 1.3 What can be conveyed?.- 1.4 What constitutes a pneumatic conveying system?.- 1.5 Modes of pneumatic conveying.- 1.6 Basic pneumatic conveying systems.- 1.7 Further classification techniques.- 1.8 Description and operation of a pneumatic conveying system.- 1.9 Putting it all together.- 1.10 An overview.- 1.11 Some useful conversion factors and tables.- References.- 2 Single phase flow in pneumatic conveying systems.- 2.1 Introduction.- 2.2 Definitions.- 2.3 Perfect gas laws.- 2.4 Drying of compressed air.- 2.5 The compression process.- 2.6 Gas flow through pipes.- 2.7 Illustrative examples.- References.- 3 Fluid and particle dynamics.- 3.1 Introduction.- 3.2 Law of continuity.- 3.3 Drag on a particle.- 3.4 Equations for calculation of relevant properties.- 3.5 Fluidization characteristics of powders.- References.- 4 Fundamentals.- 4.1 Introduction.- 4.2 Forces acting on a single particle in an air stream.- 4.3 Particle size.- 4.4 Shape.- 4.5 Dynamic equations.- 4.6 Terminal velocity.- 4.7 Single particle acceleration.- 4.8 Centrifugal flow.- 4.9 Slip velocity in a gravitational field.- 4.10 Multiple particle systems.- 4.11 Voidage and slip velocity.- 4.12 Frictional representations.- 4.13 Acceleration and development regions.- 4.14 Particle distribution in pneumatic conveying.- 4.15 Compressibility effect not negligible.- 4.16 Speed of sound in gas—solid transport.- 4.17 Gas—solid flow with varying cross-sectional area.- 4.18 Branching arrangements.- 4.19 Bend analysis.- 4.20 Downward sloping particle flow.- 4.21 Dense phase transport.- 4.22 Estimation of pressure drop in slugging dense phase conveying.- 4.23 Estimation of pressure drop in non-slugging dense phase conveying.- 4.24 Plug flows.- 4.25 Worked examples.- References.- 5 Flow regimes in vertical and horizontal conveying.- 5.1 Introduction.- 5.2 Choking versus non-choking system in vertical flow.- 5.3 Choking system in vertical flow.- 5.4 Non-choking system in vertical flow.- 5.5 Particle segregation in vertical pneumatic transport.- 5.6 Saltation in horizontal conveying.- References.- 6 Principles of pneumatic conveying.- 6.1 Introduction—putting it all together.- 6.2 The state diagram revisited.- 6.3 Methods for scaling-up.- 6.4 Use of theoretical models and definitions.- 6.5 Additional pressure drop factoz (?z).- 6.6 Pressure drop.- 6.7 Some important functional relationships.- 6.8 Sequence to be followed to obtain the system pressure loss (?p).- References.- 7 Feeding of pneumatic conveying systems.- 7.1 Introduction and overall design philosophy.- 7.2 Classification of feeding systems.- 7.3 Feeder selection criteria.- 7.4 Low pressure feeding devices.- 7.5 Medium pressure feeding systems.- 7.6 High pressure feeding devices.- 7.7 Conclusions.- References.- 8 Flow in standpipes and gravity conveyors.- 8.1 Introduction—standpipes and gravity conveyors.- 8.2 Classification of standpipe systems.- 8.3 Classification of flow modes in a standpipe.- 8.4 Equations pertaining to each flow mode.- 8.5 Flow through a valve.- 8.6 Stability of standpipe flow.- 8.7 Analysis of industrial standpipes—case studies.- 8.8 Gravity conveyors.- References.- 9 An overview of high pressure systems including long distance and dense phase pneumatic conveying systems.- 9.1 Introduction.- 9.2 High pressure systems.- 9.3 Dense phase flow classification.- 9.4 A description of plug flow and the relationships between plug flow and material characteristics.- 9.5 System selection and product characteristics.- 9.6 Dense phase system design.- 9.7 Long distance pneumatic conveying and pressure loss minimization.- 9.8 Conclusions.- References.- 10 Gas—solids separation.- 10.1 Introduction.- 10.2 Selection criteria.- 10.3 Cyclone separators—theory of the separation of particles in the centrifugal field.- 10.4 Fabric filters.- 10.5 Cleaning by sound.- 10.6 Conclusions.- References.- 11 Some comments on: the flow behaviour of solids from silos; wear in pneumatic conveying systems; ancillary equipment.- 11.1 Introduction.- 11.2 The flow of solids from bins.- 11.3 Flow aid devices for silos and hoppers.- 11.4 Wear in pneumatic conveying systems.- 11.5 Ancillary equipment.- 11.6 Conclusions.- References.- 12 Control of pneumatic transport.- 12.1 Basic material flow and control theory.- 12.2 Transport lags.- 12.3 Analysis of gas—solid flow by transfer functions.- 12.4 Stability of pneumatic transfer systems.- 12.5 Stability analysis with Taylor series linearization.- 12.6 Linear stability analysis—Jackson approach.- 12.7 Stability via the Liapunov analysis.- References.- 13 Instrumentation.- 13.1 Standard instrumentation.- 13.2 Transducers.- 13.3 Cross-correlation procedures.- 13.4 A Coriolis force meter.- 13.5 Dielectric meter.- 13.6 Load cells.- 13.7 Particle tagging.- 13.8 Electrostatic based meters.- 13.9 Acoustic measurements.- 13.10 Screw conveyors.- 13.11 Light measuring devices.- 13.12 Other techniques for particle velocities.- 13.13 Instrumentation for industrial applications.- References.- 14 System design and worked examples.- 14.1 Introduction.- 14.2 Moisture content in air.- 14.3 The design of industrial vacuum systems.- 14.4 Dilute phase pneumatic conveying system design (method 1).- 14.5 Dilute phase pneumatic conveying system design (method 2).- 14.6 Dilute phase pneumatic conveying system design (method 3).- 14.7 Dense phase pneumatic conveying system design.- 14.8 Test yourself—dilute phase calculations.- 14.9 Gas—solid flow examples.- 14.10 Conclusions.- References.

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Book SynopsisThe importance of international liner shipping needs little emphasizing. A large majority of international trade moves by sea, and the liner shipping share in total freight revenue exceeds one-half. Notwithstanding, people in general know surprisingly little about the basic facts of the liner shipping industry, and, in particular, about the economics ofliner shipping. Perhaps because it is an international industry, where shipping lines flying many different flags participate, it has tended to fall in between national accounts of domestic industries. Even transport economists have, generally speaking, treated liner shipping rather 'stepmotherly'; besides the work of Bennathan and Walters (1969), a relatively small group of specialized maritime economists, including A. Stromme-Svendsen, T. Thorburn, S. Sturmey, R. Goss, and B. M. Deakin, have in the post-war period made important contributions to the subject, but so far no coherent and reasonably comprehensive treatise of liner shipping economics has appeared. The first purpose of the present volume is therefore obvious: to provide just that. The book is divided in three parts: Part I The liner shipping industry; Part II Liner service optimization; Part III Economic evaluation of the conference system. Needless to say, all three parts concur to fulfill the first purpose of providing a complete book of liner shipping economics. In Part II a more or less separate, second, purpose has been to develop analytical tools for liner service optimization. Thereby we use different approaches.Table of ContentsI The Liner Shipping Industry.- 1 Characteristics of demand and supply of liner shipping.- 1.1 An aggregate picture of seaborne trade and the world fleet tonnage.- 1.2 The development of the shares of the world fleet: developed countries, flags of convenience and developing countries.- 1.3 Liner shipping, shipping for hire and ‘own shipping’.- 1.4 The relative size of the liner shipping industry.- 1.5 Recent development in general cargo shipping.- 1.6 Geographical aspects of liner shipping.- 2 Market organization: the conference system.- 2.1 The scope of the conference system.- 2.2 Conference organization and main activities.- 2.3 Why conferences?.- 2.4 Concluding remarks.- 3 The level and structure of freight rates.- 3.1 The general level of freight rates.- 3.2 The structure of freight rates.- Appendix A: The construction of the CONISCON index (1975–85).- Appendix B: The liner index of the FRG (1976–85).- Appendix C: The construction of an individual line freight rate index.- 4 The art of charging what the traffic can bear.- 4.1 The main form of price discrimination in liner shipping.- 4.2 The role of commodity value for shipping demand elasticity.- 4.3 The role of competition from other sources of goods supply for shipping demand elasticity.- 4.4 Competition from ‘outsiders’ and other modes of transport.- 4.5 Summary and conclusions.- II Liner Service Optimization.- 5 Ship size and shipping costs.- 5.1 Sizes of ships of different categories: The statistical picture.- 5.2 Plant-size economies in general.- 5.3 The three ship capacities.- 5.4 The model.- 5.5 Estimation of ship size elasticities of handling and hauling capacities and factor costs.- 5.6 Economies of size at sea — diseconomies of size in port.- 5.7 Optimal ship size.- 5.8 Analysis of the effect on optimal ship size of parameter changes in the model.- 5.9 The optimal size of a palletized reefer ship: A case study.- 5.10 Towards a model of ship size growth.- 6 Multi-port calling versus trans-shipment.- 6.1 The general problem: Feeder-transport cost minimization in a given service range.- 6.2 The specific problem: The potential of sea-feeder transport.- 6.3 The very large container carriers and feeder services.- 7 Shippers’ costs of sailings infrequency and transit time.- 7.1 Storage costs.- 7.2 Costs of sailings infrequency and transit time for goods which are not stored by importers.- 7.3 Loss of value of perishable goods.- 7.4 How important are shippers’ costs?.- Appendix: Optimal ship size when both shipping company costs and the shippers’ costs are accounted for.- 8 Port costs and charges and the problem of shipping and port sub-optimizations.- 8.1 ‘Public’ general cargo transport systems versus ‘private’ bulk cargo transport systems.- 8.2 Bottlenecks in ports.- 8.3 Port charges as a means of coordinating shipping and port operations.- 9 A cost minimization model of a liner trade.- 9.1 A liner trade model — purpose, scope and assumption.- 9.2 Total producer and user costs.- 9.3 Optimal ship size, multi-port diversion, and frequency of sailings.- 9.4 The minimum total cost per ton.- III Economic Evaluation of the Conference System.- 10 The charging floor reconsidered.- 10.1 Economies of scale?.- 10.2 Common cost and factor indivisibility.- Appendix: Model of profit-maximizing freight rate making.- 11 The freight rate structure is out of line with the marginal cost structure.- 11.1 Principles of marginal cost-based tariffs.- 11.2 Cross-subsidization between commodities.- 11.3 Excessive averaging of freight rates: Some suggestions for reforming the tariff construction.- 11.4 Further aspects of a cost-based freight rate structure.- Appendix: Freight rates and shipping marginal costs of Israeli imports and exports.- 12 Potential cartel profits become social costs.- 12.1 Empirical evidence of low load factors in liner shipping.- 12.2 Model of supply and demand equilibrium in a liner trade.- 12.3 Some evidence of a negative relationship between the load factor and the profit potential.- 12.4 Excessive service competition.- 13 Conclusion: price competition in liner shipping should be encouraged.- 13.1 The two types of ill effects.- 13.2 Allocative inefficiency effects.- 13.3 ‘Slack’ effects.- 13.4 Encourage price competition and service coordination.- 13.5 Recent attempts of reforming liner conference practices.- 13.6 Problems of regulating international liner shipping.- 13.7 Hopes for the future.- References.- Author index.

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Book SynopsisThe design and assessment of modern high temperature plant demands an understanding of the creep and rupture behaviour of materials under multi axial stress states. Examples include thread roots in steam turbine casing bolts, branch connections in nuclear pressure vessels and blade root fixings in gas or steam turbine rotors. At one extreme the simple notch weakening/notch strengthening characterization of the material by circumferentially vee-notched uniaxial rupture tests, as specified in many national standards, may be sufficient. These were originally intended to model thread roots and their conservatism is such that they frequently are considered adequate for design purposes. At the other extreme full size or model component tests may be employed to determine the safety margins built into design codes. This latter approach is most commonly used for internally pressurized components, particularly where welds are involved. However, such tests are extremely expensive and the use of modern stress analysis techniques combined with a detailed knowledge of multiaxial properties offers a more economic alternative. Design codes, by their nature, must ensure conservatism and are based on a material's minimum specified properties. In the case of high temperature components the extension of life beyond the nominal design figure, say from 100000 to 200000 h, offers very significant economic benefits. However, this may require a more detailed understanding of the multiaxial behaviour of a specific material than was available at the design stage.Table of ContentsI: Data Requirements.- 1. Multiaxial Data Requirements for Structural Integrity Assessments in Creep.- II: Biaxial Testing.- 2. The Application of Torsional and Double Shear Tests.- 3. Requirements for Thin-walled Torsion Testing.- 4. A Tension-Torsion Testing Technique.- 5. A Biaxial Tension-Torsion, Constant Stress, Creep Testing Machine.- 6. Torsion Testing in an Inert Atmosphere.- 7. Biaxial Testing Using Cruciform Specimens.- 8. Effects of Overloads and Creep on the Yield Surface of a Nickel-based Superalloy.- III: Triaxial Testing.- 9. An Overview on Studies of Stress State Effects During Creep of Circumferentially Notched Bars.- 10. Practical Aspects of Testing Circumferential Notch Specimens at High Temperature.- 11. Creep Tests on Axisymmetric Notched Bars: Global Displacement Measurements and Metallographic Determination of Local Strain and Damage.- 12. Computer Modelling of Creep Damage in Components with Variable Metallurgical Structure.- 13. Multiaxial Creep Testing Using Uniaxially Loaded Specimens with a Superimposed Hydrostatic Pressure.- Editors’ Note: Creep Rupture Testing under Triaxial Tension.- IV: Pressurised Tubes and Components.- 14. Stress State Distributions in Thick-walled Pressurised Tubes under Creep Loading.- 15. Potential for Standardisation of Techniques for Creep Testing of Internally Pressurised Tubular Components.- 16. Experiments on Multiaxial Creep Above 800°C.- 17. Some Experiences in the Creep Testing of Piping Elbows.- 18. Creep Rupture Testing of Tubular Model Components.- 19. Full Size Component Testing under Creep Conditions.

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Book SynopsisThis book aims to provide a unified treatment of input/output modelling and of control for discrete-time dynamical systems subject to random disturbances. The results presented are of wide applica­ bility in control engineering, operations research, econometric modelling and many other areas. There are two distinct approaches to mathematical modelling of physical systems: a direct analysis of the physical mechanisms that comprise the process, or a 'black box' approach based on analysis of input/output data. The second approach is adopted here, although of course the properties ofthe models we study, which within the limits of linearity are very general, are also relevant to the behaviour of systems represented by such models, however they are arrived at. The type of system we are interested in is a discrete-time or sampled-data system where the relation between input and output is (at least approximately) linear and where additive random dis­ turbances are also present, so that the behaviour of the system must be investigated by statistical methods. After a preliminary chapter summarizing elements of probability and linear system theory, we introduce in Chapter 2 some general linear stochastic models, both in input/output and state-space form. Chapter 3 concerns filtering theory: estimation of the state of a dynamical system from noisy observations. As well as being an important topic in its own right, filtering theory provides the link, via the so-called innovations representation, between input/output models (as identified by data analysis) and state-space models, as required for much contemporary control theory.Table of Contents1 Probability and linear system theory.- 1.1 Probability and random processes.- 1.2 Linear system theory.- Notes and references.- 2 Stochastic models.- 2.1 A general output process.- 2.2 Stochastic difference equations.- 2.3 ARMA noise models.- 2.4 Stochastic dynamical models.- 2.5 Innovations representations.- 2.6 Predictor models.- Notes and references.- 3 Filtering theory.- 3.1 The geometry of linear estimation.- 3.2 Recursive estimation.- 3.3 The Kalman filter.- 3.4 Innovations representation of state-space models.- Notes and references.- 4 System identification.- 4.1 Point estimation theory.- 4.2 Models.- 4.3 Parameter estimation for static systems.- 4.4 Parameter estimation for dynamical systems.- 4.5 Off-line identification algorithms.- 4.6 Algorithms for on-line parameter estimation.- 4.7 Bias arising from correlated disturbances.- 4.8 Three-stage least squares and order determination for scalar ARMAX models.- Notes and references.- 5 Asymptotic analysis of prediction error identification methods.- 5.1 Preliminary concepts and definitions.- 5.2 Asymptotic properties of the parameter estimates.- 5.3 Consistency.- 5.4 Interpretation of identification in terms of systems approximation.- Notes and references.- 6 Optimal control for state-space models.- 6.1 The deterministic linear regulator.- 6.2 The stochastic linear regulator.- 6.3 Partial observations and the separation principle.- Notes and references.- 7 Minimum variance and self-tuning control.- 7.1 Regulation for systems with known parameters.- 7.2 Pole/zero shifting regulators.- 7.3 Self-tuning regulators.- 7.4 A self-tuning controller with guaranteed convergence.- Notes and references.- Appendix A A uniform convergence theorem and proof of Theorem 5.2.1.- Appendix B The algebraic Riccati equation.- Appendix C Proof of Theorem 7.4.2.- Appendix D Some properties of matrices.- Appendix E Some inequalities of Hölder type.- Author index.

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Book SynopsisYear by year the Earth sciences grow more diverse, with an inevitable increase in the degree to which rampant specialization isolates the practitioners of an ever larger number of subfields. An increasing emphasis on sophisticated mathematics, physics and chemistry as well as the use of advanced technology have set up barriers often impenetrable to the uninitiated. Ironically, the potential value of many specialities for other, often non-contiguous ones has also increased. What is at the present time quiet, unseen work in a remote corner of our discipline, may tomorrow enhance, even revitalize some entirely different area. The rising flood of research reports has drastically cut the time we have available for free reading. The enormous proliferation of journals expressly aimed at small, select audiences has raised the threshold of access to a large part of the literature so much that many of us are unable to cross it. This, most would agree, is not only unfortunate but downright dangerous, limiting by sheer bulk of paper or difficulty of compre­ hension, the flow of information across the Earth sciences because, after all it is just one earth that we all study, and cross fertilization is the key to progress. If one knows where to obtain much needed data or inspiration, no effort is too great. It is when we remain unaware of its existence (perhaps even in the office next door) that stagnation soon sets in.Table of Contents1 Historical and legendary disasters.- 1.1 Natural disasters of historical record.- 1.2 Legendary accounts of floods.- 1.3 A naturalistic account of the deluge from the 17th century.- 1.4 The Ussher chronology.- 2 Obligatory catastrophism of the latter 17th century.- 2.1 Constraints on theorizing based on biblical chronology.- 2.2 Steno’s prodromus.- 2.3 Hooke’s views on fossils, floods and earthquakes.- 3 The antiquity of the Earth as perceived in Neptunist and Plutonist theories of the 18th century.- 3.1 Neptunian theories.- 3.2 Hutton’s Plutonist theory.- 3.3 Theoretical geology towards the end of the 18th century.- 4 Geology’s heroic age.- 4.1 Geological isms of the early 19th century.- 4.2 The Wernerian Society.- 4.3 Playfair’s Illustrations.- 4.4 Hall’s experiments.- 4.5 Cuvier’s catastrophism.- 4.6 Buckland’s diluvialism.- 5 Uniformitarians and catastrophists of the 19th century.- 5.1 Lyellian uniformitarianism.- 5.2 The christening of uniformitarianism and catastrophism.- 5.3 Sedgwick’s criticism of the uniformitarian doctrine.- 5.4 Lyell’s responses to his critics.- 5.5 Agassiz and the demise of diluvialism.- 5.6 Lyell’s influence on Darwin.- 5.7 The Kelvin disturbance.- 5.8 Discovery of radioactivity.- 6 Meteorite craters.- 6.1 Impact and explosion craters.- 6.2 The Meteor Crater of Arizona.- 6.3 Other solitary explosion craters.- 6.4 Impact craters.- 6.5 Mixed clusters of impact and explosion craters.- 6.6 The Tungushka meteor.- 6.7 The rarity of meteorite craters.- 7 Cryptoexplosion structures.- 7.1 General features.- 7.2 Controversy concerning origin.- 7.3 A sampler of cryptoexplosion structures.- 7.4 Effects of explosive impacts on organisms.- 8 Mass extinctions.- 8.1 Major episodes.- 8.2 The search for periodicities.- 8.3 Selectivity in extinction events.- 9 Catastrophist scenarios for mass extinctions.- 9.1 The Alvarez hypothesis for terminal Cretaceous extinctions.- 9.2 Evidence supportive of the Alvarez hypothesis.- 9.3 Consequences of impact and explosion of extraterrestrial bodies.- 9.4 Radiation as a cause of mass extinctions.- 9.5 ‘Bad water’ hypotheses.- 10 Extinction of the dinosaurs.- 10.1 Dinosaurmania.- 10.2 Discovery and naming.- 10.3 Points of general agreement concerning dinosaurs.- 10.4 Some hypotheses for extinction.- 10.5 Endotherms or ectotherms?.- 10.6 Bang or whimper?.- 11 Reactions to catastrophist hypotheses for mass extinctions.- 11.1 Hypotheses invoking impacts of extraterrestrial bodies.- 11.2 Hypotheses invoking radiation.- 11.3 Problems with iridium and other platinum-group metals.- 11.4 Evidence provided by microspherules.- 11.5 Arctic-spill hypothesis.- 12 Alternative hypotheses for mass extinctions.- 12.1 Related to volcanism.- 12.2 Related to changes in global temperature.- 12.3 Related to changes in sea-level.- 12.4 Related to history of plant life.- 13 The new catastrophism.- 13.1 Revival of uniformitarianism in the 20th century.- 13.2 A change in perspective.- 13.3 The impactors.- 13.4 Impact as a fundamental process in planetary evolution.- 13.5 Cosmic impacts and explosions.- 13.6 Giant impact theory of lunar origin.- 13.7 Catastrophic causes of mass extinctions.- 13.8 Status of neocatastrophism.- 13.9 A revolution in the Earth and planetary sciences?.- 13.10 Progress of the extinction debate.- 13.11 A farewell to isms.- References.

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Book SynopsisThe manifold forms and uses of glass are becoming increasing­ ly important in science, industry, and our personal lives. This constantly improving material interests a range of people extending beyond the relatively small number of glass experts. Naturally, questions arise as a result of this widespread interest. For this reason, we have heeded the publisher's suggestion to develop a glass primer which answers many questions and explains much of the terminology. The bases for this Schott Guide to Glass were the lecture manuscript, 'Glass Science for Designers' by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Heinz Pfaender, and the Schott pamphlet, Concepts of Technical Glass from A to Z. The manuscript which evolved into this book was written by members of the Schott scientific staff. We thank all those involved in producing this reference work. The Schott Guide to Glass will give experts, interested amateurs, and those who work with glass a glimpse into the diversity of this fascinating material. Mainz, Germany, September 1995 The editor Schott Glaswerke Introduction Glass is possibly the oldest man-made material, used without interruption since the beginning of recorded history. Unlike bronze or iron, however, it has not lent its name to any historical epoch. Still, the use of glass from hand-blown goblets to electronic components has grown with the rise of the industrial era and greatly affects present life. Glassmaking has always been one of the few truly integrated manufacturing processes where native minerals are transformed into an incredible variety of finished products within a single factory.Table of Contents1 The history of glass.- 1.1 Glass in Egypt.- 1.2 A revolution in technology: the glassblowing pipe.- 1.3 Glass in the period of the Roman Empire.- 1.4 From luxury product to everyday item.- 1.5 The role of Venice.- 1.6 Glass in Germany.- 1.7 From art nouveau to modern glass design.- 1.8 On the path to glass technology.- 1.9 Otto Schott — founder of modern glass technology.- 1.10 Glassmaking in the USA (rough outline).- 1.11 Glass all over the world.- 2 Glass, the material.- 2.1 What is glass?.- 2.2 General characteristics of the glassy state.- 2.3 Broad classification of glass types.- 2.3.1 Soda-lime glasses.- 2.3.2 Lead glasses.- 2.3.3 Borosilicate glasses.- 2.3.4 Special glasses.- 2.4 Raw materials for the manufacture of glass.- 2.4.1 Soda ash.- 2.4.2 Glauber’s salt.- 2.4.3 Potash.- 2.4.4 Lime.- 2.4.5 Alumina.- 2.4.6 Lead oxides.- 2.4.7 Barium oxide.- 2.4.8 Boron compounds.- 2.4.9 Coloring agents.- 2.4.10 Opacifiers.- 2.4.11 Glass recycling.- 2.4.12 The batch.- 3 The glassmelt.- 3.1 Melting furnaces and melting tanks.- 3.1.1 Pot melting.- 3.1.2 Tank melting.- 3.1.3 Tank construction.- 3.1.4 Materials for furnace construction.- 3.2 Fuels.- 3.2.1 Gas.- 3.2.2 Fuel oil.- 3.2.3 Electricity.- 3.2.4 Heating.- 3.3 The melting process.- 3.3.1 Primary melting.- 3.3.2 Refining.- 3.3.3 Conditioning.- 3.3.4 Refining in a tank furnace.- 3.3.5 Heat consumption in glass melting.- 3.3.6 Batch feeding.- 3.3.7 Melting defects.- 3.3.8 The sol-gel. process.- 4 Flat glass.- 4.1 The production and use of common types of flat glass.- 4.1.1 Rolled (or cast) glass.- 4.1.2 Window and plate glass.- 4.1.3 Plate glass.- 4.1.4 Float glass.- 4.2 Technical identification of soda-lime flat glasses.- 4.3 Other types of flat glass.- 4.3.1 Antique glass.- 4.3.2 Flashed glass.- 4.4 Processed flat glass.- 4.4.1 Glasses with altered radiation, heat and sound transmission characteristics (solar, thermal and sound insulation).- 4.4.2 Non-reflective glasses.- 4.4.3 Reflective flat glasses.- 4.4.4 Other surface finishing techniques for flat glass.- 4.4.5 Safety glass.- 4.4.6 Fire-resisting glass.- 5 Hollowware and glass tubing.- 5.1 The most important types of hollowware.- 5.2 The shaping of hollowware.- 5.2.1 The mouth-blowing process.- 5.2.2 Machine blowing.- 5.2.3 Pressing.- 5.2.4 Extrusion.- 5.2.5 Spinning (centrifuging).- 5.3 The drawing process for glass tubing.- 5.3.1 Other tube drawing processes.- 5.4 Finishing of hollowware.- 5.4.1 Torch blowing (lampworking).- 5.4.2 Industrial hollowware processing.- 5.4.3 Insulating vessels.- 5.4.4 Glass jewelry.- 5.5 Container glass.- 5.5.1 Beverage bottles.- 5.5.2 Bottling jars.- 5.6 Glass tableware.- 5.6.1 Breakdown of tableware by glass type.- 5.7 Other hollowware.- 5.7.1 Hollow structural glass.- 5.7.2 Lighting glass.- 5.7.3 Laboratory glass and medical hollowware.- 5.8 Finishing of hollowware.- 5.8.1 Finishing in the hot state.- 5.8.2 Finishing in the cold state — glass removing processes.- 5.8.3 Surface coating processes.- 6 Special glasses and their uses.- 6.1 Fused silica (fused quartz or quartz glass).- 6.2 Borosilicate glasses for industrial and laboratory use.- 6.2.1 Laboratory equipment.- 6.2.2 Glass process plant.- 6.3 Pharmaceutical glass.- 6.4 Glasses for electrotechnology and electronics.- 6.4.1 Sealing glasses.- 6.4.2 Glasses for television tubes.- 6.4.3 Glasses for X-ray tubes, transmitting and image-intensifying tubes.- 6.4.4 Glasses for soldering and passivation.- 6.4.5 Sintered glass parts.- 6.4.6 Glasses for high-voltage insulators.- 6.4.7 Ultrasonic delay lines.- 6.4.8 Electron conductive glasses.- 6.4.9 Lamp glasses.- 6.5 Electrode glasses.- 6.6 Optical and ophthalmic glass.- 6.6.1 Properties and classification of optical glasses.- 6.6.2 Transmission of radiation; color filters.- 6.6.3 Ophthalmic glass (spectacle glass).- 6.6.4 Special optical glasses for nuclear technology and radiation research.- 6.6.5 The manufacture of optical glass.- 6.6.6 Microspheres.- 6.7 Glass fiber.- 6.7.1 Insulating glass fibers.- 6.7.2 Fiberglass textiles.- 6.7.3 Glass fiber optics.- 6.8 Glass-ceramics.- 6.9 Porous glass and foam glass.- 6.10 A glance into the future.- 7 Environmental protection in the glass melting process.- 7.1 Glass melting.- 7.1.1 Solid particle emissions.- 7.1.2 Gaseous emissions.- 7.1.3 Flue gas dust collection.- 7.2 Waste disposal.- 8 Glass an an economic factor.- Glass museums.- Explanation of physical symbols and units.- Attenuation of radiation.- Technical literature on glass.

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Book SynopsisThe economics of forestry has always fascinated me as one of the most brain-taxing cases in economics. As an investment forestry is different from many other projects as it has unusually long gestation periods. For example, in the United Kingdom it takes over 40 years to grow coniferous and over 100 years for deciduous timber. These long gestation periods make it very clear how import­ ant are the magnitude of the discount rate and the method of discounting in the evaluation of investment projects. Any errors in these will misguide investors in forestry one way or the other. In addition, forestry redistributes income between gener­ ations. Its long gestation periods make it obvious that more than one generation will be involved in any venture. When we plant trees we know that the bulk of the benefits will be captured by future generations. Conversely, when we fell trees we reap the benefit of projects which were established in the past, mostly by generations who are long gone. So far most economists have devoted their time and energy to analysing income distribution in an intragenerational context, and this is a very sensitive and controversial issue. After all, most revolutions have taken place because of the uneven income distribution which was oppressive for the majority. Forestry helps us to study the case from the viewpoint of different generations. Forestry necessitates estimating timber prices a long time ahead.Table of Contents1 Forestry policy: an historic overview.- 2 Forestry in some selected Western countries and the European Economic Community.- 3 A cost-benefit analysis of public sector forestry in the United Kingdom by using ordinary discounting.- 4 Modified discounting and its application to forestry.- 5 Private sector forestry.- 6 The optimum rotation problem in forestry.- I Discounted cash flows/discount factors.- II Discount factors for the UK on the basis of MDM.- III Derivation of social interest rates for the UK, the US and Canada.- IV Recent developments in forestry policy in the United Kingdom.- Author index.

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Book SynopsisA long and varied experience in many areas of electronic circuit design has convinced me that capacitors are the most misunderstood and misused electronic component. This book provides practical guidance in the understanding, construction, use, and application of capacitors. Theory, combined with circuit application advice, will help to under­ stand what goes on in each component and in the final design. All chapters are arranged with the theory of the dielectric type discussed first, followed by circuit application information. With all chapters arranged in the same manner, this will make reading and using this book for reference easier. A practical glossary of terms used in the capacitor industry is included. The first chapter covers basic information that applies to all types of capacitors. Each following chapter addresses a different capacitor dielectric. This book could have been titled: 'Everything You Wanted To Know About Capacitors, But Were Afraid To Ask .. .' ix Preface THE CAPACITOR HANDBOOK Chapter 1 Fundamentals For All Capacitors For all practical purposes, consider only the parallel plate capacitor as illustrated in Fig. 1.1-two conductors or electrodes separated by a dielectric material of uniform thickness. The conductors can be any material that will conduct electricity easily. The dielectric must be a poor conductor-an insulator. Conductor (Electrode) Dielectric ,;~;...--~ Conductor (Electrode) 1..-----Wire to Outside World Fig. 1.1 The Parallel-Plate Capacitor Fig. 1.2 illustrates the symbol for a capacitor used in schematic diagrams of electronic circuits. The symbol resembles a parallel-plate model.Table of Contents1 Fundamentals For All Capacitors.- Application Information.- 2 Ceramic Capacitors.- Application Information.- 3 Plastic Film Capacitors.- Application Information.- Plastic Film Capacitors.- Metallized Film Capacitors.- 4 Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitors.- Production Technology.- The Anode (Positive Plate).- The Electrolyte.- The Spacer.- The Cathode.- Electro-mechanical Considerations.- Application Information.- 5 Tantalum Capacitors.- Tantalum Foil Style.- Wet Tantalum Style.- Solid Tantalum Style.- Application Information.- Tantalum Foil Capacitors.- Wet-Electrolyte, Sintered Anode Tantalum Capacitors.- Solid Tantalum Capacitors.- 6 Glass Capacitors.- Application Information.- 7 Mica Capacitors.- Application Information.- Appendix A Capacitor Selection Guidelines.- Ceramic.- Paper/Plastic Dielectric.- Aluminum Electrolytic.- Tantalum Electrolytic.- Glass.- Mica.- Trimmer Capacitors.- Appendix B Equations and Symbol Definitions.- Basic Capacitor Formulas.- Metric Prefixes.- Symbols.

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Book SynopsisKosik writes that the history of a text is in a certain sense the history of its interpretations. In the fifteen years that have passed since the first (Czech) edition of his Dialectics of the Concrete, this book has been widely read and interpreted throughout Europe, in diverse centers of scholarship as well as in private studies. A faithful English language edition is long overdue. This publication of KosIk's work will surely provoke a range of new interpretations. For its theme is the characterization of science and of rationality in the context of the social roots of science and the social critique which an appropriately rational science should afford. Kosik's question is: How shall Karl Marx's understanding of science itself be understood? And how can it be further developed? In his treatment of the question of scientific rationality, KOSIK drives bluntly into the issues of gravest human concern, not the least of which is how to avoid the pseudo-concrete, the pseudo-scientific, the pseudo-rational, the pseudo­ historical. Starting with Marx's methodological approach, of "ascending from the abstract to the concrete", KOSIK develops a critique of positivism, of phenomenalist empiricism, and of "metaphysical" rationalism, counter­ posing them to "dialectical rationalism". He takes the category of the concrete in the dialectical sense of that which comes to be known by the active transformation of nature and society by human purposive activity.Table of ContentsI. Dialectics of the concrete totality.- The World of the Pseudoconcrete and Its Destruction.- The Spiritual and Intellectual Reproduction of Reality.- Concrete Totality.- Notes.- II. Economics and philosophy.- Metaphysics of Everyday Life.- Care.- The Everyday and History.- Metaphysics of Science and Reason.- Homo oeconomicus.- Reason, Rationalization, Irrationality.- Metaphysics of Culture.- The Economic Factor.- Art and Its Social Equivalent.- Historism and Historicism.- Notes.- III. Philosophy and economy.- Problems of Marx’s Capital.- Interpretation of the Text.- To Abolish Philosophy?.- The Construction of Capital.- Man and Thing, or the Character of Economics.- Social Being and Economic Categories.- Philosophy of Labor.- Labor and Economics.- Notes.- IV. Praxis and totality.- Praxis.- History and Freedom.- Man.- Notes.- Index of Names.

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Book SynopsisThis book consists of a collection of essays written between 1965 and 1981. Some have been published elsewhere; others appear here for the first time. Although dealing with different figures and different periods, they have a common theme: all are concerned with examining how the method of hy­ pothesis came to be the ruling orthodoxy in the philosophy of science and the quasi-official methodology of the scientific community. It might have been otherwise. Barely three centuries ago, hypothetico­ deduction was in both disfavor and disarray. Numerous rival methods for scientific inquiry - including eliminative and enumerative induction, analogy and derivation from first principles - were widely touted. The method of hypothesis, known since antiquity, found few proponents between 1700 and 1850. During the last century, of course, that ordering has been inverted and - despite an almost universal acknowledgement of its weaknesses - the method of hypothesis (usually under such descriptions as 'hypothetico­ deduction' or 'conjectures and refutations') has become the orthodoxy of the 20th century. Behind the waxing and waning of the method of hypothesis, embedded within the vicissitudes of its fortunes, there is a fascinating story to be told. It is a story that forms an integral part of modern science and its philosophy.Table of Contents1. Introduction.- 2. The Sources of Modern Methodology: Two Models of Change.- 3. A Revisionist Note on the Methodological Significance of Galilean Mechanics.- 4. The Clock Metaphor and Hypotheses: The Impact of Descartes on English Methodological Thought, 1650–1670.- 5. John Locke on Hypotheses: Placing The Essay in the ‘Scientific Tradition’.- 6. Hume (and Hacking) on Induction.- 7. Thomas Reid and the Newtonian Turn of British Methodological Thought.- 8. The Epistemology of Light: Some Methodological Issues in the Subtle Fluids Debate.- 9. Towards a Reassessment of Comte’s ‘Méthode Positive’.- 10. William Whewell on the Consilience of Inductions.- 11. Why was the Logic of Discovery Abandoned?.- 12. A Note on Induction and Probability in the 19th Century.- 13. Ernst Mach’s Opposition to Atomism.- 14. Peirce and the Trivialization of the Self-Corrective Thesis.- Bibliographic Note.- Index of Names.

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Book SynopsisHow do you begin a career to ensure that it is driven by passion and purpose? And if youre already down a certain career path and could start all over again, would you? In both cases, how do you distinguish yourself from other employees and rise to the top? How can you actively participate in shaping your career based on your personal goals, instead of blindly following the path set before you? As a management consultant who has worked in several senior managerial positions in numerous major companies within various industries, author Maryam Ibrahim Al Mansoori has collected various pearls of wisdom that can enlighten anyone looking to evaluate their own career choices. Her impressive CV more than qualifies her as an inspiring mentor to anyone at the onset or at a crossroads in their career. This is a must-read book that offers expert career counsel based on years of experience that can help you critically consider your own career and how the choices that you are making today are defining your future.

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