Search results for ""taylor francis inc""

Written by experts with real-world experience in applying ergonomics methodology in a range of contexts, Evaluation of Human Work, Fourth Edition explores ergonomics and human factors from a "doing it" perspective. More than a cookbook of ergonomics methods, the book encourages students to think about which methods they should apply, when, and why. Now in its fourth edition, the editors have again brought together a team of world-renowned experts and created a forum for them to discuss and debate their most valued approaches.See What’s New in the Fourth Edition: Significant change of authorship and content in each chapter Five new chapters covering inclusive design, situation awareness, neuroergonomics, ergonomics and quality, and standards in ergonomics design and evaluation Discussion of the idea of reflective practice and Ergonomics/Human Factors Examination of the systems perspective now prevalent in the field Coverage of new tools and the relationship between these physiologically measured parameters and theoretical concepts such as workload, fatigue, stress, or effort In addition to being a foundational text, the book is an authoritative reference for practising ergonomists. Completely revised and updated, this fourth edition retains the features that have made the book a perennial favorite. After reading each chapter you will feel as though you understand the context of how to practise ergonomics and what aspects of method selection and implementation you should consider. The book provides a guide to the benefits ergonomics and human factors can offer industry, business, or human service professionals.

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Maintain peace of mind while you are working or living abroad—wherever and however you travel.As an international traveler, you know there are risks. But are you doing everything you can to protect yourself and your belongings? Whether you are traveling for work or pleasure, Personal Security: A Guide for International Travelers enables you to prevent security incidents and react in life-saving ways during a crisis. This comprehensive manual answers questions such as: Which criteria should you use for selecting the safest hotel or airline? How to deal with corrupt officials? What are special considerations for women, families, elderly, or travelers with disabilities? What support can you expect from your organization and what are your responsibilities? Benefit from lessons learned from leading experts and seasoned travelers Learn how criminals select their targets and manipulate situations, whether for street crime or serious attack such as kidnapping or terrorism See yourself from the local perspective Deal with common travel inconveniences and stress factors proactively Improve your situational awareness Increase your effectiveness by realistically assessing threats Make the most out of the opportunities that traveling brings Tanya Spencer has traveled extensively to high-risk destinations and has trained 1000s of people how to safely navigate the complexities of international travel. Emphasizing prevention, the book covers medical, cultural, and political considerations, so you understand exactly what you must do before and while you are abroad. It provides flexible frameworks, models, and tools that allow you to easily apply the wealth of tips and advice to any travel situation you might face. Before your next trip, benefit from these time-tested strategies for proactively managing travel risks.

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A unique textbook for an undergraduate course on mathematical modeling, Differential Equations with MATLAB: Exploration, Applications, and Theory provides students with an understanding of the practical and theoretical aspects of mathematical models involving ordinary and partial differential equations (ODEs and PDEs). The text presents a unifying picture inherent to the study and analysis of more than 20 distinct models spanning disciplines such as physics, engineering, and finance.The first part of the book presents systems of linear ODEs. The text develops mathematical models from ten disparate fields, including pharmacokinetics, chemistry, classical mechanics, neural networks, physiology, and electrical circuits. Focusing on linear PDEs, the second part covers PDEs that arise in the mathematical modeling of phenomena in ten other areas, including heat conduction, wave propagation, fluid flow through fissured rocks, pattern formation, and financial mathematics.The authors engage students by posing questions of all types throughout, including verifying details, proving conjectures of actual results, analyzing broad strokes that occur within the development of the theory, and applying the theory to specific models. The authors’ accessible style encourages students to actively work through the material and answer these questions. In addition, the extensive use of MATLAB® GUIs allows students to discover patterns and make conjectures.

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Numerous books have been written about Toyota's approach to workplace improvement; however, most describe Toyota's practices as case studies or stories. Designed to aid in the implementation of Lean manufacturing, The Modern Theory of the Toyota Production System: A Systems Inquiry of the World’s Most Emulated and Profitable Management System explains that your organization already has what it takes to succeed with TPS and what’s probably missing is balance.Bridging the gap between implementation and theory, this text is the first of its kind to use systems theory to study how the pieces of the Toyota Production System (TPS) work together to achieve this much needed balance. Lean practitioners will learn how to use system theory to improve overall decision making when applying Lean or Toyota-like management systems.Explaining that the glue that holds the pieces of TPS together is just as important as the pieces themselves, the book provides you with invaluable guidance in the implementation of Lean manufacturing from a management perspective. It outlines a blueprint to help you develop a clear understanding of how the pieces of TPS need to come together so you can achieve something greater than what’s possible with the individual pieces.

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With major implications for applied physics, engineering, and the natural and social sciences, the rapidly growing area of environmental fluid dynamics focuses on the interactions of human activities, environment, and fluid motion. A landmark for the field, the two-volume Handbook of Environmental Fluid Dynamics presents the basic principles, fundamental flow processes, modeling techniques, and measurement methods used in the study of environmental motions. It also offers critical discussions of environmental sustainability related to engineering. The handbook features 81 chapters written by 135 renowned researchers from around the world. Covering environmental, policy, biological, and chemical aspects, it tackles important cross-disciplinary topics such as sustainability, ecology, pollution, micrometeorology, and limnology. Volume Two: Systems, Pollution, Modeling, and Measurements explores the interactions between engineered structures and anthropogenic activities that affect natural flows, with particular emphasis on environmental pollution. The book covers the numerical methodologies that underpin research, predictive modeling, and cyber-infrastructure developments. It also addresses practical aspects of laboratory experiments and field observations that validate quantitative predictions and help identify new phenomena and processes.As communities face existential challenges posed by climate change, rapid urbanization, and scarcity of water and energy, the study of environmental fluid dynamics becomes increasingly relevant. This volume is a valuable resource for students, researchers, and policymakers working to better understand environmental motions and how they affect and are influenced by anthropogenic activities.See also Handbook of Environmental Fluid Dynamics, Two-Volume Set and Volume One: Overview and Fundamentals.

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Explains the benefits of digital CCTV over analog video to best maximize networking scalability and video storage capabilitiesAddresses cutting-edge advances in intelligent video design and its capabilities versus standard digital videoOffers the latest specifications on advances in cameras, DVRs and networking features in IP-based security surveillance and remote monitoring applicationsConsiders many real-world applications and cases Includes new chapters on cloud computing, network video standards, and the latest thermal camera developments

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Access to accurate, evidence-based, and clinically relevant information is essential to anyone who uses or recommends herbal products. With input from some of the most respected experts in herbal and integrative medicine, this completely revised edition of the American Herbal Products Association’s Botanical Safety Handbook reviews both traditional knowledge and contemporary research on herbs to provide an authoritative resource on botanical safety. The book covers more than 500 species of herbs and provides a holistic understanding of safety through data compiled from clinical trials, pharmacological and toxicological studies, medical case reports, and historical texts. For each species, a brief safety summary is provided for quick reference, along with a detailed review of the literature. Easily understood classification systems are used to indicate the safety of each listed species and the potential for the species to interact with drugs. Enhancements to the Second Edition include: Classification of each herb with both a safety rating and a drug interaction rating More references listed for each individual herb, vetted for accuracy Specific information on adverse events reported in clinical trials or case reports Safety-related pharmacology and pharmacokinetics of each herb, including drug interactions Additional information on the use of herbs by pregnant or lactating women Toxicological studies and data on toxic compounds Representing the core of the botanical trade and comprising the finest growers, processors, manufacturers, and marketers of herbal products, the mission of the AHPA is to promote the responsible commerce of herbal products. The American Herbal Products Association Botanical Safety Handbook, Second Edition ensures that this vision is attained. The book will be a valuable reference for product manufacturers, healthcare practitioners, regulatory agencies, researchers, and consumers of herbal products.

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Window functions—otherwise known as weighting functions, tapering functions, or apodization functions—are mathematical functions that are zero-valued outside the chosen interval. They are well established as a vital part of digital signal processing. Window Functions and their Applications in Signal Processing presents an exhaustive and detailed account of window functions and their applications in signal processing, focusing on the areas of digital spectral analysis, design of FIR filters, pulse compression radar, and speech signal processing.Comprehensively reviewing previous research and recent developments, this book: Provides suggestions on how to choose a window function for particular applications Discusses Fourier analysis techniques and pitfalls in the computation of the DFT Introduces window functions in the continuous-time and discrete-time domains Considers two implementation strategies of window functions in the time- and frequency domain Explores well-known applications of window functions in the fields of radar, sonar, biomedical signal analysis, audio processing, and synthetic aperture radar

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Dramatic increases in processing power have rapidly scaled on-chip aggregate bandwidths into the Tb/s range. This necessitates a corresponding increase in the amount of data communicated between chips, so as not to limit overall system performance. To meet the increasing demand for interchip communication bandwidth, researchers are investigating the use of high-speed optical interconnect architectures. Unlike their electrical counterparts, optical interconnects offer high bandwidth and negligible frequency-dependent loss, making possible per-channel data rates of more than 10 Gb/s. High-Speed Photonics Interconnects explores some of the groundbreaking technologies and applications that are based on photonics interconnects.From the Evolution of High-Speed I/O Circuits to the Latest in Photonics Interconnects Packaging and LasersFeaturing contributions by experts from academia and industry, the book brings together in one volume cutting-edge research on various aspects of high-speed photonics interconnects. Contributors delve into a wide range of technologies, from the evolution of high-speed input/output (I/O) circuits to recent trends in photonics interconnects packaging. The book discusses the challenges associated with scaling I/O data rates and current design techniques. It also describes the major high-speed components, channel properties, and performance metrics. The book exposes readers to a myriad of applications enabled by photonics interconnects technology.Learn about Optical Interconnect Technologies Suitable for High-Density Integration with CMOS ChipsThis richly illustrated work details how optical interchip communication links have the potential to fully leverage increased data rates provided through complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology scaling at suitable power-efficiency levels. Keeping the mathematics to a minimum, it gives engineers, researchers, graduate students, and entrepreneurs a comprehensive overview of the dynamic landscape of high-speed photonics interconnects.

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A new edition of a bestselling industrial and systems engineering reference, Handbook of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Second Edition provides students, researchers, and practitioners with easy access to a wide range of industrial engineering tools and techniques in a concise format. This edition expands the breadth and depth of coverage, emphasizing new systems engineering tools, techniques, and models. See What’s New in the Second Edition: Section covering safety, reliability, and quality Section on operations research, queuing, logistics, and scheduling Expanded appendix to include conversion factors and engineering, systems, and statistical formulae Topics such as control charts, engineering economy, health operational efficiency, healthcare systems, human systems integration, Lean systems, logistics transportation, manufacturing systems, material handling systems, process view of work, and Six Sigma techniques The premise of the handbook remains: to expand the breadth and depth of coverage beyond the traditional handbooks on industrial engineering. The book begins with a general introduction with specific reference to the origin of industrial engineering and the ties to the Industrial Revolution. It covers the fundamentals of industrial engineering and the fundamentals of systems engineering. Building on this foundation, it presents chapters on manufacturing, production systems, and ergonomics, then goes on to discuss economic and financial analysis, management, information engineering, and decision making. Two new sections examine safety, reliability, quality, operations research, queuing, logistics, and scheduling.The book provides an updated collation of the body of knowledge of industrial and systems engineering. The handbook has been substantively expanded from the 36 seminal chapters in the first edition to 56 landmark chapters in the second edition. In addition to the 20 new chapters, 11 of the chapters in the first edition have been updated with new materials. Filling the gap that exists between the traditional and modern practice of industrial and systems engineering, the handbook provides a one-stop resource for teaching, research, and practice.

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Drawing on the work of internationally acclaimed experts in the field, Handbook of Item Response Theory, Volume One: Models presents all major item response models. This first volume in a three-volume set covers many model developments that have occurred in item response theory (IRT) during the last 20 years. It describes models for different response formats or response processes, the need of deeper parameterization due to a multilevel or hierarchical structure of the response data, and other extensions and insights.In Volume One, all chapters have a common format with each chapter focusing on one family of models or modeling approach. An introductory section in every chapter includes some history of the model and a motivation of its relevance. Subsequent sections present the model more formally, treat the estimation of its parameters, show how to evaluate its fit to empirical data, illustrate the use of the model through an empirical example, and discuss further applications and remaining research issues.

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Ergonomics often seems to be involved too late in commercial project development processes to have substantive impact on design and usability. However, in the automotive industry, and specifically in relation to In-Vehicle Information Systems (IVIS), a lack of attention to usability can not only lead to poor customer satisfaction, it can also present a significant risk to safe and efficient driving.Usability Evaluation for In-Vehicle Systems describes how to apply a range of usability evaluation methods for IVIS. The authors explore the driving context and the range of driver-IVIS interactions, using case studies that show how Ergonomics methods can add considerable value throughout the product development process. They emphasize practical approaches that can be used to predict and analyze driver behavior with IVIS. The authors also present validation evidence for the methods covered.The book has three key objectives: Define and understand usability in the context of IVIS. This guides the specification of criteria against which usability can be successfully evaluated. Develop a multi-method framework to support designers in the evaluation of IVIS usability. The underlying motivations for the framework are a need for early-stage evaluation to support proactive redesign and a practical and realistic approach which can be used successfully by automotive manufacturers. Develop an analytic usability evaluation method which enables useful predictions of task interaction, whilst accounting for the specific context-of-use of IVIS. The major challenge of this particular context-of-use is the dual-task environment created by interacting with secondary tasks via an IVIS at the same time as driving. Written for students, researchers, designers, and engineers, the book is not only a guide to the practical application of evaluation methods, it also presents important th

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Lean burning of premixed gases is considered to be a promising combustion technology for future clean and highly efficient gas turbine combustors. Yet researchers face several challenges in dealing with premixed turbulent combustion, from its nonlinear multiscale nature and the impact of local phenomena to the multitude of competing models. Filling a gap in the literature, Fundamentals of Premixed Turbulent Combustion introduces the state of the art of premixed turbulent combustion in an accessible manner for newcomers and experienced researchers alike.To more deeply consider current research issues, the book focuses on the physical mechanisms and phenomenology of premixed flames, with a brief discussion of recent advances in partially premixed turbulent combustion. It begins with a summary of the relevant knowledge needed from disciplines such as thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, molecular transport processes, and fluid dynamics. The book then presents experimental data on the general appearance of premixed turbulent flames and details the physical mechanisms that could affect the flame behavior. It also examines the physical and numerical models for predicting the key features of premixed turbulent combustion.Emphasizing critical analysis, the book compares competing concepts and viewpoints with one another and with the available experimental data, outlining the advantages and disadvantages of each approach. In addition, it discusses recent advances and highlights unresolved issues. Written by a leading expert in the field, this book provides a valuable overview of the physics of premixed turbulent combustion. Combining simplicity and topicality, it helps researchers orient themselves in the contemporary literature and guides them in selecting the best research tools for their work.

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Used routinely in drug control laboratories, forensic laboratories, and as a research tool, thin layer chromatography (TLC) plays an important role in pharmaceutical drug analyses. It requires less complicated or expensive equipment than other techniques, and has the ability to be performed under field conditions. Filling the need for an up-to-date, complete reference, Thin Layer Chromatography in Drug Analysis covers the most important methods in pharmaceutical applications of TLC, namely, analysis of bulk drug material and pharmaceutical formulations, degradation studies, analysis of biological samples, optimization of the separation of drug classes, and lipophilicity estimation.The book is divided into two parts. Part I is devoted to general topics related to TLC in the context of drug analysis, including the chemical basis of TLC, sample pleparation, the optimization of layers and mobile phases, detection and quantification, analysis of ionic compounds, and separation and analysis of chiral substances. The text addresses the newest advances in TLC instrumentation, two-dimensional TLC, quantification by slit scanning densitometry and image analysis, statistical processing of data, and various detection and identification methods. It also describes the use of TLC for solving a key issue in the drug market—the presence of substandard and counterfeit pharmaceutical products.Part II provides an in-depth overview of a wide range of TLC applications for separation and analysis of particular drug groups. Each chapter contains an introduction about the structures and medicinal actions of the described substances and a literature review of their TLC analysis. A useful resource for chromatographers, pharmacists, analytical chemists, students, and R&D, clinical, and forensic laboratories, this book can be utilized as a manual, reference, and teaching source.

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A timely symposium entitled Body-Fluid Homeostasis: Transduction and Integration was held at Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil in 2011. This meeting was convened as an official satellite of a joint gathering of the International Society for Autonomic Neuroscience (ISAN) and the American Autonomic Society (AAS) held in Buzios, Rio de Janeiro. Broad international participation at this event generated stimulating discussion among the invited speakers, leading to the publication of Neurobiology of Body Fluid Homeostasis: Transduction and Integration. Drawn from the proceedings and filled with rich examples of integrative neurobiology and regulatory physiology, this volume: Provides updated research using human and animal models for the control of bodily fluids, thirst, and salt appetite Explores neural and endocrine control of body fluid balance, arterial pressure, thermoregulation, and ingestive behavior Discusses recent developments in molecular genetics, cell biology, and behavioral plasticity Reviews key aspects of brain serotonin and steroid and peptide control of fluid consumption and arterial pressure The book highlights research conducted by leading scientists on signal transduction and sensory afferent mechanisms, molecular genetics, perinatal and adult long-term influences on regulation, central neural integrative circuitry, and autonomic/neuroendocrine effector systems. The findings discussed by the learned contributors are relevant for a basic understanding of disorders such as heat injury, hypertension, and excess salt intake. A unique reference on the neurobiology of body fluid homeostasis, this volume is certain to fuel additional research and stimulate further debate on the topic.

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Through healthcare reform, payment modifications, transparency, and a renewed focus on value, the healthcare industry is changing its organizational structure from one of a multitude of individual entities to one of a system-of-care model. This restructuring and subsequent alignment of information presents new risks and opportunities for physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare providers.Emphasizing effective interactions between physicians and the health system, Physician Alignment: Constructing Viable Roadmaps for the Future examines the different ways physicians and hospitals can create systems to not only survive, but thrive through the changes facing healthcare. It draws on experienced authors in the area of physician purchasing to explain the various integrative models for physicians and hospitals. Provides an accessible introduction to the different types of healthcare delivery models Covers the various types of integration—starting with the simplest and evolving into full employment models with full integration Includes helpful information for doctors considering a transition to physician employment Highlights emerging trends in healthcare Explaining how these systems should be constructed and aligned, the book provides healthcare organizations with a roadmap for planning for the future. The book concludes with a chapter on accountable care organizations and patient-centered medical homes that moves from the conceptual to administrative embodiments of the principles of an integrated health system as we now know it.

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The last few years have brought about many changes in the field of marine and freshwater toxins, with advances in analytical technology and the realization that these toxins are a global issue. Offering a complete reference guide, Seafood and Freshwater Toxins: Pharmacology, Physiology, and Detection, Third Edition addresses all aspects of the social and scientific influence of phytotoxins, from legislation and monitoring to new drug development. Covering many new topics, the book examines three main aspects: monitoring of toxins; chemical, mechanistic, and toxicological diversity; and detection technologies.New to this edition: 35 new chapters and 5 updated chapters A focus on state-of-the-art methodology Coverage of new technologies to cultivate algae and to identify, isolate, and quantify toxins Regulatory changes Climate change evidence Expanded information on toxicology Part I of the book includes an overview and reviews general issues related to toxin detection, ecology, and diversity, and effects of climate change. Part II covers impacts of toxins regarding epidemiology, toxicology, economics, and surveillance. Part III explores available detection technologies, such as functional assays, biosensors, mass spectrometry, nanotechnology, and more. In addition, standard reference materials for toxins are discussed. Parts IV to VI provide detailed descriptions of toxin chemical diversity, biological sources, and modes of action. Part VII addresses the use of toxins as starting points for therapeutic drugs for cancer, neurological disorders, and for novel antibiotics.

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The author’s previous work, Managing Emerging Risk: The Capstone of Preparedness considered the notion of risk and what constitutes risk assessment. It presented scenarios to introduce readers to areas of critical thinking around probability and possibility. Six months after the book’s publication, many of the scenarios came true, and other, more menacing risks emerged. Catastrophic Impact and Loss: The Capstone of Impact Assessment is the second stone to be laid in a path toward a more mindful practice of emergency management, focusing on the impacts caused by risk and offering a complete approach to measure and manage them.Providing a true understanding of what it is to be "in harm’s way," this essential book details the devastation and effects that both public and private enterprise must be prepared for in the event of a catastrophe. The book examines: Impact assessment as an essential piece of information and the fundamental flaws that hinder the process The development of the digital age and postmodernism and the five guiding principles of postmodern impact assessments How to establish an impact horizon and effect a clear scope statement that includes all in-scope and out-of-scope assets and locations Problems that occur when we fail to create impact assessments that align with internal organizational values, federal and state laws, or industry regulations—and how to use the guiding principles to address these problems Methods for developing solid analytical models for impact assessment—exacting logical, relevant, and clear language and taxonomies How to address overrides and deviations based on expert opinion, cultural needs, and the application of common sense Key challenges in postmodern business impact assessment and how we can best meet those challenges by understanding the concept of the uncanny valley Readers who master the principles in this book will better understand the link between the potential damage of an event and how information informs every decision to prepare for, respond to, mitigate, and recover.

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Minorities, based on whatever criteria—linguistic, religious, ethnic, tribal, racial, or otherwise—share a distinctive contextual and social experience. Their representation in public service is important, especially when there have been public policies which have historically discriminated against them. Politics of Preference: India, United States, and South Africa discusses the importance of offsetting past discrimination in an attempt at bringing all citizens in as active participants of their representative bureaucracies. The author, a distinguished public administration comparativist, brings together the uniquely large and complex cases of United States, India, and South Africa.In a penetrating analysis of the use of preference in the public sector, the book examines three profoundly different countries—India, the United States, and South Africa — as they handle the challenge of integrating several different minorities into public service. The author chose these three countries—the most populous, the oldest, and the more nascent, yet each with a history of its own that led to equal employment and other governmental policies. While there is a sprinkling of literature that examines this issue from a comparative perspective, no one seems to have studied these three diverse nations and explored not only their differences but their similarities. The author of this book takes the view that it is not enough to study the environment but also explicate the context for a public policy. He provides a comprehensive study that does just that.

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Offering a rich diversity of models, Bayesian phylogenetics allows evolutionary biologists, systematists, ecologists, and epidemiologists to obtain answers to very detailed phylogenetic questions. Suitable for graduate-level researchers in statistics and biology, Bayesian Phylogenetics: Methods, Algorithms, and Applications presents a snapshot of current trends in Bayesian phylogenetic research. Encouraging interdisciplinary research, this book introduces state-of-the-art phylogenetics to the Bayesian statistical community and, likewise, presents state-of-the-art Bayesian statistics to the phylogenetics community. The book emphasizes model selection, reflecting recent interest in accurately estimating marginal likelihoods. It also discusses new approaches to improve mixing in Bayesian phylogenetic analyses in which the tree topology varies. In addition, the book covers divergence time estimation, biologically realistic models, and the burgeoning interface between phylogenetics and population genetics.

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Winner of an Outstanding Academic Title Award from CHOICE MagazineTransistors using one electron at a time. Seemingly transparent sunscreens made with titanium dioxide particles that block harmful UV rays. Nanometer-sized specks of gold that change color to red and melt at 750°C instead of 1,064°C. Nanotechnology finds the unique properties of things at the nanometer scale and then puts them to use!Although nanotechnology is a hot topic with a wide range of fascinating applications, the search for a true introductory popular resource usually comes up cold. Closer to a popular science book than a high-level treatise, Nanotechnology: The Whole Story works from the ground up to provide a detailed yet accessible introduction to one of the world’s fastest growing fields. Dive headlong into nanotechnology! Tackling the eight main disciplines—nanomaterials, nanomechanics, nanoelectronics, nanoscale heat transfer, nanophotonics, nanoscale fluid mechanics, nanobiotechnology, and nanomedicine—this book explains what’s different at the nanoscale, and how we exploit those differences to make useful things. You’re holding the key to an exciting and rapidly evolving field. So get The Whole Story…

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Computing Handbook, Third Edition: Computer Science and Software Engineering mirrors the modern taxonomy of computer science and software engineering as described by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the IEEE Computer Society (IEEE-CS). Written by established leading experts and influential young researchers, the first volume of this popular handbook examines the elements involved in designing and implementing software, new areas in which computers are being used, and ways to solve computing problems. The book also explores our current understanding of software engineering and its effect on the practice of software development and the education of software professionals.Like the second volume, this first volume describes what occurs in research laboratories, educational institutions, and public and private organizations to advance the effective development and use of computers and computing in today’s world. Research-level survey articles provide deep insights into the computing discipline, enabling readers to understand the principles and practices that drive computing education, research, and development in the twenty-first century.

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Despite a number of books on biophotonics imaging for medical diagnostics and therapy, the field still lacks a comprehensive imaging book that describes state-of-the-art biophotonics imaging approaches intensively developed in recent years. Addressing this shortfall, Advanced Biophotonics: Tissue Optical Sectioning presents contemporary methods and applications of biophotonics imaging. Gathering research otherwise scattered in numerous physical, chemical, biophysical, and biomedical journals, the book helps researchers, bioengineers, and medical doctors understand major recent bioimaging technologies and the underlying biophotonics science.Well-known international experts explore a variety of "hot" biomedical optics and biophotonics problems, including the use of photoacoustic imaging to investigate the molecular and cellular processes in living systems. The book also covers Monte Carlo modeling, tissue optics and tissue optical clearing, nonlinear optical microscopy, various aspects of optical coherence tomography, multimodal tomography, adaptive optics, and signal imaging.With 58 color images, this book represents a valuable contribution to the biomedical and biophotonics literature. Designed for researchers and practitioners in biophotonics, the book is also a useful resource for scientists in laser physics and technology, fiber optics, spectroscopy, materials science, biology, and medicine as well as students studying biomedical physics and engineering, biomedical optics, and biophotonics.

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A clear, concise discussion of today’s hottest topics in climate change, including adapting to climate change and geo-engineering to mitigate the effects of change, Engineering Response to Climate Change, Second Edition takes on the tough questions of what to do and offers real solutions to the practical problems caused by radical changes in the Earth’s climate. From energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions reduction, to climate-altering technologies, this new edition explores the latest concerns such as acidification of the ocean, energy efficiency, transportation, space solar power, and future and emerging possibilities. The editors set the stage by discussing the separate issues of the emissions of radiatively important atmospheric constituents, energy demand, energy supply, agriculture, water resources, coastal hazards, adaption strategies, and geo-engineering. They explain the difference between the natural and human drivers of climate change and describe how humans have influenced the global climate during past decades. Each chapter concludes with discussion questions, calculations, and possible research topics.See What’s in the Second Edition: New conceptual tools and research necessary for problems associated with fossil fuels Cutting-edge topics such as adaption and geo-engineering The latest concerns such as acidification of the ocean, energy efficiency, transportation, and space solar power Solutions to problems caused by changes in the Earth’s climate So much has changed in the 15 years since the publication of the first edition, that this is, in effect, a completely new book. However, the general theme is the same: the climate energy problem has become largely an engineering problem. With this in mind, the book explores what engineers can do to prevent, mitigate, or adapt to climate change.

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Environmental Fate and Transport Analysis with Compartment Modeling explains how to use the powerful, highly flexible, and intuitive compartment approach to estimate the distribution of chemical contaminants in environmental media in time and space. Add this Easy-to-Use Approach to Your Environmental Modeling ToolboxThis numerical technique enables readers to easily develop the equations that describe complex environmental problems by assembling the equations out of compartmental building blocks. The compartments may describe spatial subunits of single- or multi-environmental media, and the way one hooks them together implicitly provides the dimensionality of the problem. With this approach, assembling the equations to describe chemical fate and transport in a three-dimensional, multimedia system is fundamentally no more challenging than a one-dimensional, single-medium problem. Go Beyond "Black Box" Modeling with the Flexible GEM SoftwareThe book includes access to the Generic Environmental Model (GEM), a new software package developed by the author. This software implements the compartment approach based on user-prepared input files and solves the resulting mathematical equations. It allows readers to solve linear, nonlinear, and steady-state problems and offers four methods for solving dynamic problems. Each solution technique is reviewed, along with the error properties and the criteria for avoiding or minimizing numerical errors. The book also describes solution techniques and the underlying mathematical theory for solving nonlinear systems. Compartment Modeling from the Ground Up, Made Accessible to Non-MathematiciansA user-friendly introduction to environmental compartment modeling for the beginning modeler, this is also a useful resource for the experienced modeler. It combines a reference on compartment modeling with a user’s guide to the GEM. Throughout, the GEM is used to illustrate the theory with numerous examples, while the theoretical discussions illuminate the GEM’s functionality.

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A company with effective cost reduction activities in place will be better positioned to adapt to shifting economic conditions. In fact, it can make the difference between organizations that thrive and those that simply survive during times of economic uncertainty. Reducing Process Costs with Lean, Six Sigma, and Value Engineering Techniques covers the methods and techniques currently available for lowering the costs of products, processes, and services.Describing why cost reductions can be just as powerful as revenue increases, the book arms readers with the understanding required to select the best solution for their company’s culture and capabilities. It emphasizes home-grown techniques that do not require the implementation of any new methodologies—making it easy to apply them in any organization.The authors explain how to reduce costs through traditional Lean methods and Lean Six Sigma. They also present Six Sigma cost savings techniques from Manufacturing Six Sigma, Services Six Sigma, and Design for Six Sigma. The book also presents optimization techniques from operations research methods, design experiment, and engineering process control.Helping you determine what your organization’s value proposition is, the text explains how to improve on the existing proposition and suggests a range of tools to help you achieve this goal. The tools and techniques presented vary in complexity and capability and most chapters include a rubric at the start to help readers determine the levels of competence required to perform the tasks outlined in that chapter.

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Information granules, as encountered in natural language, are implicit in nature. To make them fully operational so they can be effectively used to analyze and design intelligent systems, information granules need to be made explicit. An emerging discipline, granular computing focuses on formalizing information granules and unifying them to create a coherent methodological and developmental environment for intelligent system design and analysis. Granular Computing: Analysis and Design of Intelligent Systems presents the unified principles of granular computing along with its comprehensive algorithmic framework and design practices. Introduces the concepts of information granules, information granularity, and granular computing Presents the key formalisms of information granules Builds on the concepts of information granules with discussion of higher-order and higher-type information granules Discusses the operational concept of information granulation and degranulation by highlighting the essence of this tandem and its quantification in terms of the associated reconstruction error Examines the principle of justifiable granularity Stresses the need to look at information granularity as an important design asset that helps construct more realistic models of real-world systems or facilitate collaborative pursuits of system modeling Highlights the concepts, architectures, and design algorithms of granular models Explores application domains where granular computing and granular models play a visible role, including pattern recognition, time series, and decision making Written by an internationally renowned authority in the field, this innovative book introduces readers to granular computing as a new paradigm for the analysis and synthesis of intelligent systems. It is a valuable resource for those engaged in research and practical developments in computer, electrical, industrial, manufacturing, and biomedical engineering. Building from fundamentals, the book is also suitable for readers from nontechnical disciplines where information granules assume a visible position.

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Organic Light-Emitting Materials and Devices provides a single source of information covering all aspects of OLEDs, including the systematic investigation of organic light-emitting materials, device physics and engineering, and manufacturing and performance measurement techniques. This Second Edition is a compilation of the advances made in recent years and of the challenges facing the future development of OLED technology.Featuring chapters authored by internationally recognized academic and industrial experts, this authoritative text: Introduces the history, fundamental physics, and potential applications of OLEDs Reviews the synthesis, properties, and device performance of electroluminescent materials used in OLEDs Reflects the current state of molecular design, exemplifying more than 600 light-emitting polymers and highlighting the most efficient materials and devices Explores small molecules-based OLEDs, detailing hole- and electron-injection and electron-transport materials, electron- and hole-blocking materials, sensitizers, and fluorescent and phosphorescent light-emitting materials Describes solution-processable phosphorescent polymer LEDs, energy transfer processes, polarized OLEDs, anode materials, and vapor deposition manufacturing techniques employed in OLED fabrication Discusses flexible display, the backplane circuit technology for organic light-emitting displays, and the latest microstructural characterization and performance measurement techniques Contains abundant diagrams, device configurations, and molecular structures clearly illutrating the presented ideas Organic Light-Emitting Materials and Devices, Second Edition offers a comprehensive overview of the OLED field and can serve as a primary reference for those needing additional information in any particular subarea of organic electroluminescence. This book should attract the attention of materials scientists, synthetic chemists, solid-state physicists, and electronic device engineers, as well as industrial managers and patent lawyers engaged in OLED-related business areas.

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The modern southwestern cities of Phoenix, Tucson, Las Vegas, Albuquerque, and El Paso occupy lands that once supported rich desert ecosystems. Typical development activities often resulted in scraping these desert lands of an ancient living landscape, to be replaced with one that is human-made and dependent on a large consumption of energy and natural resources. Design with the Desert: Conservation and Sustainable Development explores the natural and built environment of the American Southwest and introduces development tools for shaping the future of the region in a more sustainable way.Explore the Desert Landscape and EcologyThis transdisciplinary collaboration draws on insights from leading authorities in their fields, spanning science, ecology, planning, landscape development, architecture, and urban design. Organized into five parts, the book begins by introducing the physical aspects of the desert realm: the land, geology, water, and climate. The second part deals with the "living" and ecological aspects, from plants and animals to ecosystems. The third part, on planning in the desert, covers the ecological and social issues surrounding water, natural resource planning, and community development.Bring the Desert into the CityThe fourth part looks at how to bring nature into the built environment through the use of native plants, the creation of habitats for nature in urban settings, and the design of buildings, communities, and projects that create life. The final part of the book focuses on urban sustainability and how to design urban systems that provide a secure future for community development. Topics include water security, sustainable building practices, and bold architecture and community designs.Design Solutions That Work with the Local EnvironmentThis book will inspire discussion and contemplation for anyone interested in desert development, from developers and environmentalists to planners, community leaders, and those who live in desert regions. Throughout this volume, the contributors present solutions to help promote ecological balance between nature and the built environment in the American Southwest—and offer valuable insights for other ecologically fragile regions around the world.

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Surface tension provides a thermodynamic avenue for analyzing systems in equilibrium and formulating phenomenological explanations for the behavior of constituent molecules in the surface region. While there are extensive experimental observations and established ideas regarding desorption of ions from the surfaces of aqueous salt solutions, a more successful discussion of the theory has recently emerged, which allows the quantitative calculation of the distribution of ions in the surface region. Surface Tension and Related Thermodynamic Quantities of Aqueous Electrolyte Solutions provides a detailed and systematic analysis of the properties of ions at the air/water interface.Unifying older and newer theories and measurements, this book emphasizes the contributions of simple ions to surface tension behavior, and the practical consequences. It begins with a general discussion on Gibbs surface thermodynamics, offering a guide to his theoretical insight and formulation of the boundary between fluids. The text then discusses the thermodynamic formulae that are useful for practical experimental work in the analysis of fluid/fluid interfaces.Chapters cover surface tension of pure water at air/water and air/oil interfaces, surface tension of solutions and the thermodynamic quantities associated with the adsorption and desorption of solutes, and surface tension of simple salt solutions. They also address adsorption of ions at the air/water interface, surface tension of solutions and the effect of temperature, adsorption from mixed electrolyte solutions, and thermodynamic properties of zwitterionic amino acids in the surface region. Focusing on the thermodynamic properties of ions at air/fluid interfaces, this book gives scientists a quantitative, rigorous, and objectively experimental methodology they can employ in their research.

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Food materials are processed prior to their consumption using different processing technologies that improve their shelf life and maintain their physicochemical, biological, and sensory qualities. Introduction to Advanced Food Process Engineering provides a general reference on various aspects of processing, packaging, storage, and quality control and assessment systems, describing the basic principles and major applications of emerging food processing technologies.The book is divided into three sections, systematically examining processes from different areas of food process engineering.Section I covers a wide range of advanced food processing technologies including osmo-concentration of fruits and vegetables, membrane technology, nonthermal processing, emerging drying technologies, CA and MA storage of fruits and vegetables, nanotechnology in food processing, and computational fluid dynamics modeling in food processing.Section II describes food safety and various non-destructive quality assessment systems using machine vision systems, vibrational spectroscopy, biosensors, and chemosensors.Section III explores waste management, by-product utilization, and energy conservation in food processing industry. With an emphasis on novel food processes, each chapter contains case studies and examples to illustrate state-of-the-art applications of the technologies discussed.

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In the ten years since the publication of the best-selling first edition, more than 1,000 graph theory papers have been published each year. Reflecting these advances, Handbook of Graph Theory, Second Edition provides comprehensive coverage of the main topics in pure and applied graph theory. This second edition—over 400 pages longer than its predecessor—incorporates 14 new sections. Each chapter includes lists of essential definitions and facts, accompanied by examples, tables, remarks, and, in some cases, conjectures and open problems. A bibliography at the end of each chapter provides an extensive guide to the research literature and pointers to monographs. In addition, a glossary is included in each chapter as well as at the end of each section. This edition also contains notes regarding terminology and notation.With 34 new contributors, this handbook is the most comprehensive single-source guide to graph theory. It emphasizes quick accessibility to topics for non-experts and enables easy cross-referencing among chapters.

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Probability as an Alternative to Boolean LogicWhile logic is the mathematical foundation of rational reasoning and the fundamental principle of computing, it is restricted to problems where information is both complete and certain. However, many real-world problems, from financial investments to email filtering, are incomplete or uncertain in nature. Probability theory and Bayesian computing together provide an alternative framework to deal with incomplete and uncertain data. Decision-Making Tools and Methods for Incomplete and Uncertain DataEmphasizing probability as an alternative to Boolean logic, Bayesian Programming covers new methods to build probabilistic programs for real-world applications. Written by the team who designed and implemented an efficient probabilistic inference engine to interpret Bayesian programs, the book offers many Python examples that are also available on a supplementary website together with an interpreter that allows readers to experiment with this new approach to programming.Principles and Modeling Only requiring a basic foundation in mathematics, the first two parts of the book present a new methodology for building subjective probabilistic models. The authors introduce the principles of Bayesian programming and discuss good practices for probabilistic modeling. Numerous simple examples highlight the application of Bayesian modeling in different fields.Formalism and AlgorithmsThe third part synthesizes existing work on Bayesian inference algorithms since an efficient Bayesian inference engine is needed to automate the probabilistic calculus in Bayesian programs. Many bibliographic references are included for readers who would like more details on the formalism of Bayesian programming, the main probabilistic models, general purpose algorithms for Bayesian inference, and learning problems.FAQsAlong with a glossary, the fourth part contains answers to frequently asked questions. The authors compare Bayesian programming and possibility theories, discuss the computational complexity of Bayesian inference, cover the irreducibility of incompleteness, and address the subjectivist versus objectivist epistemology of probability. The First Steps toward a Bayesian ComputerA new modeling methodology, new inference algorithms, new programming languages, and new hardware are all needed to create a complete Bayesian computing framework. Focusing on the methodology and algorithms, this book describes the first steps toward reaching that goal. It encourages readers to explore emerging areas, such as bio-inspired computing, and develop new programming languages and hardware architectures.

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R is the amazing, free, open-access software package for scientific graphs and calculations used by scientists worldwide. The R Student Companion is a student-oriented manual describing how to use R in high school and college science and mathematics courses. Written for beginners in scientific computation, the book assumes the reader has just some high school algebra and has no computer programming background. The author presents applications drawn from all sciences and social sciences and includes the most often used features of R in an appendix. In addition, each chapter provides a set of computational challenges: exercises in R calculations that are designed to be performed alone or in groups. Several of the chapters explore algebra concepts that are highly useful in scientific applications, such as quadratic equations, systems of linear equations, trigonometric functions, and exponential functions. Each chapter provides an instructional review of the algebra concept, followed by a hands-on guide to performing calculations and graphing in R. R is intuitive, even fun. Fantastic, publication-quality graphs of data, equations, or both can be produced with little effort. By integrating mathematical computation and scientific illustration early in a student’s development, R use can enhance one's understanding of even the most difficult scientific concepts. While R has gained a strong reputation as a package for statistical analysis, The R Student Companion approaches R more completely as a comprehensive tool for scientific computing and graphing.

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India’s Waters: Advances in Development and Management is a critical study of the development and management of India’s waters. Its central theme is that the current methods in use are an extension of the colonial-era system, which, despite vast growth, has remained essentially the same in terms of developmental concepts, technological activities, and performance. A revolution on several fronts is possible, and this book details the author’s own plans for these advancements.First the book briefly addresses both the physiographic and hydrologic characteristics of India and its waters, and the current official proposals for their development. Next, the author presents new concepts and policies for development of India’s waters, followed by his proposed technological revolution. The author illustrates how India’s aforementioned unique characteristics enable use of some novel technologies that are unique globally. This fact is key to his proposed revolution, which asserts that water availability can be more than doubled. Even more importantly, water can be placed in the hands of the farmer. On the subject of hydroelectric development, the author explores a novel technology of interspatial intertemporal pumped storage development that would increase both hydroelectric potential and peaking power almost five times over. On a related note, the book explains advances in water resource developmental planning in terms of a new societal environmental systems management that far surpasses the much vaunted integrated water resources development. The author also talks about the challenges of climate change, demonstrating how his revolutionary technological proposals could be applied to deal with this serious issue.

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With demand for petroleum products increasing worldwide, there is a tendency for existing refineries to seek new approaches to optimize efficiency and throughput. In addition, changes in product specifications due to environmental regulations greatly influence the development of petroleum refining technologies. These factors underlie the need for this fifth edition of The Chemistry and Technology of Petroleum, which continues in the tradition of the bestselling fourth edition, proving readers with a detailed overview of the chemistry and technology of petroleum as it evolves into the twenty-first century.The new edition has been updated with the latest developments in the refining industry, including new processes as well as updates on evolving processes and various environmental regulations. The book covers issues related to economics and future refineries, examines the changing character of refinery feedstock, and offers new discussions on environmental aspects of refining. It contains more than 300 figures and tables, including chemical structures and process flow sheets.A useful reference for scientists and engineers in the petroleum industry as well as in the catalyst manufacturing industry, this book introduces readers to the science and technology of petroleum, beginning with its formation in the ground and culminating in the production of a wide variety of products and petrochemical intermediates.

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Many books and reviews about scanning probe microscopies (SPM) cover the basics of their performance, novel developments, and state-of-the-art applications. Taking a different approach, Hybridizing Surface Probe Microscopies: Towards a Full Description of the Meso- and Nanoworlds encompasses the technical efforts in combining SPM with spectroscopic and optical complementary techniques that, altogether, provide a complete description of nanoscale and mesoscale systems and processes from corrosion to enzymatic reactions. The book is organized into eight chapters, following a general scheme that revolves around the two main capabilities of SPM: imaging and measuring interactions. Each chapter introduces key theoretical concepts and basic equations of the particular stand-alone technique with which the scanning probe microscopies are combined. Chapters end with the SPM-technique combination and some real-world examples in which the combination has been devised or used. Most chapters include a historical review of the techniques and numerous illustrations to support key ideas and provide the reader with intuitive understanding. To understand the limitations of any technique also means to understand how this technique works. This book has devoted a considerable amount of space in explaining the basics of each technique as they are being introduced. At the same time, it avoids explaining the particularities of each SPM-based technique and opts for a rather generalized approach. In short, the book’s focus is not on what SPM can do, but rather on what SPM cannot do and, most specifically, on presenting the experimental approaches that circumvent these limitations.

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Presents Current Principles and ApplicationsBiomedical engineering is considered to be the most expansive of all the engineering sciences. Its function involves the direct combination of core engineering sciences as well as knowledge of nonengineering disciplines such as biology and medicine. Drawing on material from the biomechanics section of The Biomedical Engineering Handbook, Fourth Edition and utilizing the expert knowledge of respected published scientists in the application and research of biomechanics, Biomechanics: Principles and Practices discusses the latest principles and applications of biomechanics and outlines major research topics in the field.This book contains a total of 20 chapters. The first group of chapters explores musculoskeletal mechanics and includes hard and soft-tissue mechanics, joint mechanics, and applications related to human function. The next group of chapters covers biofluid mechanics and includes a wide range of circulatory dynamics, such as blood vessel and blood cell mechanics and transport. The following group of chapters introduces the mechanical functions and significance of the human ear, including information on inner ear hair cell mechanics. The remaining chapters introduce performance characteristics of the human body system during exercise and exertion. Introduces modern viewpoints and developments Highlights cellular mechanics Presents material in a systematic manner Contains over 100 figures, tables, and equations Biomechanics: Principles and Practices functions as a reference for the practicing professional as well as an introduction for the bioengineering graduate student with a focus in biomechanics, biodynamics, human performance engineering, and human factors.

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Edited by experts at the leading edge of the development of causal assessment methods for more than two decades, Ecological Causal Assessment gives insight and expert guidance on how to identify cause-effect relationships in environmental systems. The book discusses the importance of asking the fundamental question "Why did this effect happen?" before moving on to "How can we fix it?" The book provides a deeper understanding of different philosophical and analytical approaches, and of cognitive tendencies that can lead to errors. It describes formal processes for causal assessment that are particularly helpful when the situation is complex or contentious. It also describes how to approach the analysis of available data and to optimize collection efforts. The text then details a transparent process that helps others replicate results and can be used to convince skeptics that the true cause has been identified. Several detailed case studies show how to apply the process to streams, watersheds, and a terrestrial wildlife population.Causal assessment is a challenging, but endlessly fascinating endeavor. Success requires the persistence to figure things out and solid strategies for using the information that you have and getting more of the right kind of information that you need. This book gives you just that: the skills, knowledge, and confidence needed to successfully unravel tough environmental problems and build the knowledge base for effective management solutions.Read interview about this book with author Sue Norton here: http://www.freshwater-science.org/Publications/Newsletter-In-The-Drift/ITD--Fall-2015.cfm#itdqna

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Instead of building new hospitals that import old systems and problems, the time has come to reexamine many of our ideas about what a hospital should be. Can a building foster continuous improvement? How can we design it to be flexible and useful well into the future? How can we do more with less?Winner of a 2013 Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence!Answering these questions and more, Lean-Led Hospital Design: Creating the Efficient Hospital of the Future explains how hospitals can be built to increase patient safety and reduce wait times while eliminating waste, lowering costs, and easing some of healthcare’s most persistent problems. It supplies a simplified timeline of architectural planning—from start to finish—to guide readers through the various stages of the Lean design development philosophy, including Lean architectural design and Lean work design. It includes examples from several real healthcare facility design and construction projects, as well as interviews with hospital leaders and architects.Check out a video of the authors discussing their book, Lean-Led Hospital Design at the 2012 Med Assets Healthcare Business Summit. www.modernhealthcare.com/section/LiveatHBS

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During the past two decades, there has been an increasing appreciation of the significant value that lifetime-based techniques can add to biomedical studies and applications of fluorescence. Bringing together perspectives of different research communities, Fluorescence Lifetime Spectroscopy and Imaging: Principles and Applications in Biomedical Diagnostics explores the remarkable advances in time-resolved fluorescence techniques and their role in a wide range of biological and clinical applications. Broadly accessible, the book captures the state-of-the-art of fluorescence lifetime metrology and imaging and provides current perspectives on their applications to biomedical studies of intact tissues and medical diagnosis. The text introduces these techniques within the wider context of fluorescence spectroscopy and describes basic principles underlying current instrumentation for fluorescence lifetime imaging and metrology (FLIM). It also covers the wide range of methods, including single channel (point) spectroscopy, fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy, and single- and multi-photon excitation.Edited by pioneers in this field, with contributions from leading experts, the book includes an overview of complementary techniques that help researchers beginning FLIM research. It offers a comprehensive treatment of fundamental principles, instrumentation, analytical methods, and applications. It also provides an overview of the label-free contrast available from lifetime measurements of tissue autofluorescence and the prospects for exploiting this for clinical applications and biomedical research including drug discovery.

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Information on integrating soft computing techniques into video surveillance is widely scattered among conference papers, journal articles, and books. Bringing this research together in one source, Handbook on Soft Computing for Video Surveillance illustrates the application of soft computing techniques to different tasks in video surveillance. Worldwide experts in the field present novel solutions to video surveillance problems and discuss future trends.After an introduction to video surveillance systems and soft computing tools, the book gives examples of neural network-based approaches for solving video surveillance tasks and describes summarization techniques for content identification. Covering a broad spectrum of video surveillance topics, the remaining chapters explain how soft computing techniques are used to detect moving objects, track objects, and classify and recognize target objects. The book also explores advanced surveillance systems under development.Incorporating both existing and new ideas, this handbook unifies the basic concepts, theories, algorithms, and applications of soft computing. It demonstrates why and how soft computing methodologies can be used in various video surveillance problems.

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The growing complexity of today’s interconnected systems has not only increased the need for improved information security, but also helped to move information from the IT backroom to the executive boardroom as a strategic asset. And, just like the tip of an iceberg is all you see until you run into it, the risks to your information are mostly invisible until disaster strikes. Detailing procedures to help your team perform better risk assessments and aggregate results into more meaningful metrics, Practical Risk Management for the CIO approaches information risk management through improvements to information management and information security. It provides easy-to-follow guidance on how to effectively manage the flow of information and incorporate both service delivery and reliability. Explains why every CIO should be managing his or her information differently Provides time-tested risk ranking strategies Considers information security strategy standards such as NIST, FISMA, PCI, SP 800, & ISO 17799 Supplies steps for managing: information flow, classification, controlled vocabularies, life cycle, and data leakage Describes how to put it all together into a complete information risk management framework Information is one of your most valuable assets. If you aren’t on the constant lookout for better ways to manage it, your organization will inevitably suffer. Clarifying common misunderstandings about the risks in cyberspace, this book provides the foundation required to make more informed decisions and effectively manage, protect, and deliver information to your organization and its constituents.

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Edited by Jussi Kantola, the founding faculty member of the world’s first university Knowledge Service Engineering Department at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, and Waldemar Karwowski from the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems at UCF, Knowledge Service Engineering Handbook defines what knowledge services engineering means and how it is different from service engineering and service production. This groundbreaking handbook explores recent advances in knowledge service engineering from the accomplished researchers and practitioners in this field from around the world and provides engineering, systemic, industry, and consumer use viewpoints to knowledge service systems and engineering paradigms. The handbook outlines how to acquire and utilize knowledge in the 21st century presenting multiple cultural aspects including US, European, and Asian perspectives. Organized into four parts, it begins with an introduction to the main concepts of knowledge services. It then explores data, information and knowledge based engineering methods and applications that can be used to develop knowledge services, followed by discussions of the importance of human networks in knowledge services. The handbook concludes with descriptions of high-performance knowledge service systems. This structure allows different uses: the information can be looked up as needed or read in the order presented. As with any new field, the excitement lies in seeing how to combine these advances in data, information, and human parts of knowledge services in the future. While most books on this subject concentrate on data, information, or knowledge, this handbook integrates coverage of all three, thus providing a complete examination of sustainable knowledge services. The handbook has been carefully designed to be of use to professionals who develop new knowledge services and related businesses, for academic researchers and lecturers to start new research projects, and for students studying knowledge services, knowledge service production, and knowledge service business.

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Increased demand for and developments in micromanufacturing have created a need for a resource that covers both the science and technology of this rapidly growing area. With contributions from eminent professors and researchers actively engaged in teaching, research, and development, Micromanufacturing Processes details the basic principles, tools, techniques, and latest advances in micromanufacturing processes. It includes coverage of measurement techniques and research trends as well as a large number of cross-references, making it useful to the students and researchers alike.The book outlines the challenges faced not only in micromanufacturing but also in meso- and nanomanufacturing, exploring topics such as micromachining, micro welding, microforming, micromolding, nanofinishing and micro-/nano-metrology. It includes examples that demonstrate the capabilities of fabricating micro- / nano-products and micro- / nano-features on the macro and micro products. The text also discusses nanofinishing techniques giving surface finish in the domain of sub-nano level, micro welding techniques, namely, laser beam micro welding, electron beam micro welding, micro / nano patterning in large quantities, and micro / nano metrology principles and equipments. It goes on to describe devices such as nano spring, micro mixer, micro cantilever, to name just a few.Unique in its level of coverage, the book highlights new challenges in manufacturing and covers several different types of micromanufacturing processes, such as micromachining, microforming, microcasting, microjoining, nanofinishing, and micrometrology. The level of details, extensive references, figures, and diagrams make the book a reference that will become the standard for this field.

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Since the start of the recent financial crisis, as most global firms struggle to remain competitive, an increasing number of Korean and Japanese firms have experienced an amazing rate of growth and expansion. Although academic researchers and business leaders in the United States, China, Brazil, India, and Europe seek out the secrets to these businesses’ success, little is known about their business practices.Supplying an insider’s perspective, Building Network Capabilities in Turbulent Competitive Environments: Practices of Global Firms from Korea and Japan unveils the strategic and operational practices that have allowed these firms to catch and surpass their competitors in North America and Europe. Based on fieldwork studies and extensive interviews with senior executives, it explains how these companies have developed and enhanced their core competencies through effective integration of product architecture, supply chain management, and IT strategy.The book provides practical insight into changing business patterns while avoiding extensive mathematical algorithms and drawn-out theoretical descriptions. It uses cutting-edge case studies to illustrate the innovative manufacturing strategies of these rapidly emerging companies. Accessible to anyone with a basic understanding of business, it reveals the organizational processes of strategy formulation and implementation that are required for success.Providing a clear understanding of both the career implications of the changing business landscape and how to deliver products and services that meet and exceed the needs of your customers, this book will help you develop the socio-technical skills needed to succeed in an increasingly competitive and turbulent business environment.

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The fractionation of human blood plasma can be considered to be a mature industry, with the basic technology, alcohol fractionation, dating back at least to the 1940s. Many of the products described in the current work have been approved biologics since the 1950s. The information gathered from the development of plasma proteins has proved vital to the development of recombinant therapeutic proteins. Discussing the role of plasma proteins in current biotechnology, Biotechnology of Plasma Proteins describes the protein composition of human plasma, the fractionation of plasma to obtain therapeutic proteins, and the analysis of these products. It delineates the path from plasma products to recombinant products, and highlights products from albumin, intravenous immunoglobins, and coagulation. It offers a comprehensive review of current techniques for the analysis of proteins including electrophoresis, chromatography, spectrophotometry, mass spectrometry, and updates not published since 1975. Key TopicsProtein Composition of Plasma Proteomic methods for plasma protein analysis Plasma protein biomarkers Validation of biomarkers Assays for plasma biomarkers Methods for the Analysis of Protein Products Assay development and validation Electrophoresis Chromatography Immunoassay Mass spectrometry Raman spectroscopy Plasma Fractionation: Historical and Modern Methods Development of Cohn alcohol fractionation Industrial methods Development of chromatographic methods Plasma Protein Products of Therapeutic Value Albumin Intravenous immunoglobulin Coagulation products Growth factors Wound management

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Handbook of Fluid Dynamics offers balanced coverage of the three traditional areas of fluid dynamics—theoretical, computational, and experimental—complete with valuable appendices presenting the mathematics of fluid dynamics, tables of dimensionless numbers, and tables of the properties of gases and vapors. Each chapter introduces a different fluid dynamics topic, discusses the pertinent issues, outlines proven techniques for addressing those issues, and supplies useful references for further research.Covering all major aspects of classical and modern fluid dynamics, this fully updated Second Edition: Reflects the latest fluid dynamics research and engineering applications Includes new sections on emerging fields, most notably micro- and nanofluidics Surveys the range of numerical and computational methods used in fluid dynamics analysis and design Expands the scope of a number of contemporary topics by incorporating new experimental methods, more numerical approaches, and additional areas for the application of fluid dynamics Handbook of Fluid Dynamics, Second Edition provides an indispensable resource for professionals entering the field of fluid dynamics. The book also enables experts specialized in areas outside fluid dynamics to become familiar with the field.

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