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Contract Research and Development Organizations: Their Role in Global Product Development
by Shayne C. Gad Charles B. SpainhourThe last 10 years have seen a seismic shift in therapeutic product development and testing. In both the pharmaceutical (both small and large molecule) and medical device sectors, the vast majority of testing and evaluation of products is not performed within innovator companies, but rather has been outsourced to a growing universe of commercial organizations. The authors both have more than 30 years experience in this field, and both have worked within innovator companies, for CROs, and as consultants in the field. Contract Research and Development Organizations: Their Role in Global Product Development has been crafted by these authors to provide a how to guide for all aspects of working with CROs in selecting, working with and ensuring the best possible desirable outcome of having the R&D function, or substantial parts of it, outsourced. It uses as the exemplary case nonclinical safety assessment, biocompatibility and efficacy testing which are to be performed to select the best possible candidate compound, device or formulation and then moving the resulting regulated therapeutic medical product into and through the development process and to marketing approval. But also covered are the contract synthesis of drug substances and corresponding manufacture of biologics and manufacture of products, formulation development, clinical evaluation, regulatory and document preparation support, and use of consultants. Included in the volume are an exhaustive listing of those CROs in the (drug and device) safety evaluation sector and their contact information and capabilities, and extensive similar listing for the other types of contract service providers. Also included are guidances on how to monitor ongoing work at contract facilities and audit check lists for GLP, GMP and GCP facilities. These listings are international in scope, and a specific chapter addresses working with some of the newer international CROs.
Contract Theory in Continuous-Time Models (Springer Finance)
by Jianfeng Zhang Jakša CvitanicIn recent years there has been a significant increase of interest in continuous-time Principal-Agent models, or contract theory, and their applications. Continuous-time models provide a powerful and elegant framework for solving stochastic optimization problems of finding the optimal contracts between two parties, under various assumptions on the information they have access to, and the effect they have on the underlying "profit/loss" values. This monograph surveys recent results of the theory in a systematic way, using the approach of the so-called Stochastic Maximum Principle, in models driven by Brownian Motion. Optimal contracts are characterized via a system of Forward-Backward Stochastic Differential Equations. In a number of interesting special cases these can be solved explicitly, enabling derivation of many qualitative economic conclusions.
A Contract with the Earth
by Newt Gingrich Terry L. MapleFocusing the environmental debate on the principle of common commitment, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and eminent conservationist Terry L. Maple present A Contract with the Earth. They declare a need for bipartisan environmentalism—a new era of environmental stewardship with principles that they believe most Americans will share. While acknowledging that liberals and conservatives do not see eye to eye on many issues, Gingrich and Maple argue successfully that environmental stewardship is a mainstream value that transcends partisan politics. Their thoughtful approaches to our environmental challenges are based on three main premises: environmental leadership is integral to America's role in the world, technologically savvy environmental entrepreneurs can and should be the cornerstone of environmental solutions, and cooperation and incentives must be dramatically increased to achieve workable and broadly supported environmental solutions.Gingrich and Maple believe that most people—regardless of how they categorize themselves politically—are weary of the legal and political conflicts that prevent individuals and communities from realizing the benefits of environmental conservation. The foundation of the book—a ten-point Contract with the Earth—promotes ingenuity over rhetoric as the way forward.
Contractors and War: The Transformation of US Expeditionary Operations
by Christopher Kinsey Malcolm Hugh PattersonThe U. S. military is no longer based on a Cold War self-sufficient model. Today's armed forces are a third smaller than they were during the Cold War, and yet are expected to do as much if not more than they did during those years. As a result, a transformation is occurring in the way the U. S. government expects the military to conduct operations-with much of that transformation contingent on the use of contractors to deliver support to the armed forces during military campaigns and afterwards. Contractors and Warexplains the reasons behind this transformation and evaluates how the private sector will shape and be shaped by future operations. The authors are drawn from a range of policy, legislative, military, legal, and academic backgrounds. They lay out the philosophical arguments supporting the use of contractors in combat and stabilization operations and present a spectrum of arguments that support and criticize emergent private sector roles. The book provides fresh policy guidance to those who will research, direct, and carry out future deployments.
Contractual Management: Managing Through Contracts
by Ralph Schuhmann Bert EichhornThe Concept Contractual Management offers a holistic approach to managerial decision-making based on contracts or business processes that are related to contracts. It explains management from the point of view of the contract, just as it interprets the contract from the point of view of management. Thus, the approach highlights the great inherent potential of contracts for managing companies, transactions and business relationships. The book addresses students as well as practitioners and gives insights into the usage of contracts to manage companies or relationships. It covers contract handling from preliminary deliberations to negotiations, implementation, and all the way to the evaluation of the contract within the company. Furthermore, it provides competencies to design and implement a contract and to organize the relevant processes. The Content In Part 1, the book explains the theoretical foundations of Contractual Management; in Part 2, the application of the approach is illustrated through case studies which cover various sectors, industries, company sizes, contract types, and management situations. Theory part: Contractual Management – A Holistic Approach to a Diverse Issue. Case study part: 11 case studies arranged according to specific contract-related topics: Information and Communication – Change – Enterprise Networks – Conflict – Accounting and Financing – Legal Compliance – Societal Steering. The Editors Professor Dr. Ralph Schuhmann: After holding a senior management position in industry, Ralph Schuhmann now teaches Business Law at Ernst-Abbe-Hochschule in Jena, Germany. He is the scientific director of the Contractual Management Institute at SRH Hochschule Berlin and has published various articles on contract law and contract management. Professor Dr. Bert Eichhorn: Before his appointment as professor for International Law and Business Law at SRH Hochschule Berlin, Bert Eichhorn worked as a legal consultant at the EU Parliament and as a lawyer. He has published numerous articles in national and international scientific journals in the area of contract management and international law. He is the managing director of the Contractual Management Institute at SRH Hochschule Berlin.
Contradictions: Neuroscience and Religion (Springer Praxis Books)
by José M. Musacchio"Contradictions" is a general interest book that exposes the incompatibility between popular religious beliefs and the scientific view of human nature. It begins with a survey of the evolution of religions and their continuing, often irrational, influences in modern society. Then, based on his long experience in neuroscience, the author takes issue with Decartes about the duality of body and soul. He presents case studies of patients with brain diseases and from these deduces that the soul, far from being separate and supernatural, is no more or less than our way of experiencing our brains ... and which correspondingly disintegrates when they do. Convincing clinical findings and powerful arguments about the universality of truth make this book a bold contribution to the debate about belief and religion in the modern world.
The Contrarian: Peter Thiel and Silicon Valley's Pursuit of Power
by Max ChafkinA biography of venture capitalist and entrepreneur Peter Thiel, the enigmatic, controversial, and hugely influential power broker who sits at the dynamic intersection of tech, business, and politics &“Max Chafkin&’s The Contrarian is much more than a consistently shocking biography of Peter Thiel, the most important investor in tech and a key supporter of the Donald Trump presidency. It&’s also a disturbing history of Silicon Valley that will make you reconsider the ideological foundations of America&’s relentless engine of creative destruction.&”—Brad Stone, author of The Everything Store and Amazon UnboundSince the days of the dot-com bubble in the late 1990s, no industry has made a greater impact on the world than Silicon Valley. And few individuals have done more to shape Silicon Valley than Peter Thiel. The billionaire venture capitalist and entrepreneur has been a behind-the-scenes operator influencing countless aspects of our contemporary way of life, from the technologies we use every day to the delicate power balance between Silicon Valley, Wall Street, and Washington. But despite his power and the ubiquity of his projects, no public figure is quite so mysterious.In the first major biography of Thiel, Max Chafkin traces the trajectory of the innovator's singular life and worldview, from his upbringing as the child of immigrant parents and years at Stanford as a burgeoning conservative thought leader to his founding of PayPal and Palantir, early investment in Facebook and SpaceX, and relationships with fellow tech titans Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, and Eric Schmidt. The Contrarian illuminates the extent to which Thiel has sought to export his values to the corridors of power beyond Silicon Valley, including funding the lawsuit that destroyed the blog Gawker and strenuously backing far-right political candidates, notably Donald Trump for president in 2016. Eye-opening and deeply reported, The Contrarian is a revelatory biography of a one-of-a-kind leader and an incisive portrait of a tech industry whose explosive growth and power is both thrilling and fraught with controversy.
Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound: From Simple to Complex
by Alexander N. Sencha Yury N. PatrunovThis book provides a comprehensive analysis of the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in the diagnosis of a wide variety of pathologies. Sonography reliably identifies a wide range of diseases, and the efficacy of modern ultrasound has dramatically improved with contrast enhancement. This book covers almost all aspects of CEUS starting from basic principles and ending with features of its application in individual organs. In particular, it explores the diseases of abdominal, retroperitoneal, and pelvic organs as well as superficial structures, highlighting the characteristic features of typical findings. Focal lesions are discussed in depth, with attention to their early detection and differential diagnosis. Besides, a practical approach to the stratification of the risk of malignancies is provided. The authors summarized their own experience with CEUS in oncology, hepatology, gynecology, urology, endocrinology, and other fields of medicine. The role of CEUS in differential diagnosis of various disorders of the female reproductive system is comprehensively discussed as well. The presentation is clear and concise, and richly illustrated. The book will be a helpful tool for both residents and practitioners approaching ultrasound diagnostics, as well for more experienced radiologists and other professionals.
Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound in Pediatric Imaging
by Paul S. Sidhu Maria E. Sellars Annamaria DeganelloThis book is a comprehensive guide to the rapidly evolving field of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in the child. The uses and interpretation of CEUS are clearly explained with the aid of numerous illustrations. The coverage encompasses both established indications, such as focal liver lesions, abdominal solid organ injury, and vesicoureteral reflux, and a range of newer applications. Extensive information is also provided on microbubble agents and their use in the pediatric age group, as well as on practical aspects of setting up a CEUS service for children.CEUS is a safe imaging method that is ideal for the young patient and can be used for problem solving in a number of clinical situations. Ultrasound combined with microbubble contrast avoids the ionizing radiation of a CT examination, the use of iodinated contrast, the need for sedation or a general anesthetic, and the complexities of MR imaging. In bringing readers up to date with best practice and the latest innovations in CEUS, this book will be of value for pediatric radiologists, pediatric sonographers/technicians, and pediatricians.
Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound of the Urinary Tract
by Maurizio Atzori Giovanni Regine Romano FabbriThis book examines in detail the diagnostic impact of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in the evaluation of urinary tract pathology, paying particular attention to the diagnostic gain that may be expected in relation to other imaging techniques such as CT and MRI. The role of contrast-enhanced ultrasound is evaluated in a range of pathologies, including ischemia, trauma, inflammation, cystic lesions, and solid tumors, as well as in the imaging of anatomic variants. New applications, for example monitoring of kidney transplantation, assessment of urinary bladder lesions, and diagnosis of vesico-ureteric reflux, are also covered. The presented cases, drawn from the authors' personal clinical caseload, include images obtained using multimodality techniques, sometimes with 3D CT reconstruction. The authors' own experiences are compared with the most recent reports in the scientific literature.
Contrast Techniques in Light Microscopy
by S. Bradbury and P.J. EvennettContrast in an image is essential to distinguish features from one another and from the background. This practical handbook describes the ways in which light interacts with the specimen in the microscope.
Contribución de los ingenieros de caminos catalanes al progreso de España
by Fernando Sáenz RidruejoEste libro atesora algunas de las aportaciones más importantes a la Ingeniería de Caminos de nuestro país y da a conocer a sus geniales artífices. «Las obras públicas son realidades muy complejas que pueden determinar la prosperidad o la ruina de comarcas enteras.» Las palabras de Sáenz Ridruejo quedan reflejadas en este elaborado compendio biográfico del que emana un gran respeto por la profesión y por los compañeros con quienes la comparte. Fruto de una rigurosa investigación, este libro llega de la mano del historiador de los ingenieros de Caminos por excelencia y aporta un detallado testimonio de las contribuciones catalanas al progreso de la casa y de la causa común, ingenios que han facilitado y que facilitan a diario nuestra movilidad, nuestra comodidad y, en definitiva, nuestras vidas.
The Contribution of Universities Towards Education for Sustainable Development (World Sustainability Series)
by Walter Leal Filho Thais Dibbern Salvador Ruiz de Maya María-del-Carmen Alarcón-del-Amo Longinos Marin RivesThe book gathers inputs from universities and research organizations working on matters related to sustainable development in a variety of contexts. It also provides a platform for the dissemination of information on the latest initiatives, paving the way for technology transfer and networking. Furthermore, the book intends to provide a fertile basis upon which universities may cooperate more closely in this key area. Universities, as centers of education, research, and innovation, have a unique position and responsibility in promoting sustainability. They can offer degree programs, courses, and workshops focused on sustainability, environmental studies, and related fields, educating students and the wider community about the principles and challenges of sustainability. Also, universities can conduct cutting-edge research to address sustainability challenges, such as climate change, resource depletion, and biodiversity loss. They can develop innovative technologies and solutions that promote sustainable practices in various sectors, including energy, agriculture, transportation, and urban planning. There is a perceived need to better understand and engage universities further on sustainability initiatives. Against this backdrop and in order to facilitate a broad discussion on the contribution of universities toward sustainability, this book is being produced.Last but not least, a further aim of the book is to present methodological approaches and experiences deriving from case studies and projects, which aim to show how sustainability may be incorporated as part of university programs.
Contributions of Chemical Engineering to Sustainability
by Juan Gabriel Segovia-Hernández Nelly Ramírez-Corona Valentina Aristizábal-MarulandaThis book discusses the recent advancements in chemical engineering and their role in achieving the United Nations' 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Addressing these goals involves tackling intricate and interdisciplinary challenges.Chemical engineers have been diligently addressing a diverse array of issues across academia, society, and industry, with the aim of positively impacting these goals.The book offers essential insights and detailed analyses for each SDG. It explores the challenges encountered within various applications and proposes solutions based on foundational engineering principles. The book's content is tailored to professionals, students, and researchers across diverse fields, including engineering, environmental science, and biotechnology.
Contributions to Advanced Dynamics and Continuum Mechanics (Advanced Structured Materials #114)
by Holm Altenbach Hans Irschik Valery P. MatveenkoThe book celebrates the 65th birthday of Prof. Alexander K. Belyaev—a well-known expert in the field of Dynamics of Mechanical Systems. In addition to reflecting Prof. Belyaev’s contributions, the papers gathered here address a range of current problems in Dynamics and Continuum Mechanics. All contributions were prepared by his friends and colleagues, and chiefly focus on theory and applications.
Contributions to Higher Engineering Education
by Eva Virgínia Araújo Morais Gustavo R. Alves Maria M. NascimentoThe book focuses on teaching knowledge and principles (Higher Education) regarding professional practice of engineering (life and lifelong learning). It covers recent developments in engineering education. This book comprises the select proceedings of the conference organised by the Portuguese Society for Engineering Education. This book goes beyond the examination of the economic, culture, and social factors, which influence the education of engineers in different higher education institutions, and encompasses critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration and creativity and innovation. These are essential components of engineering education. The contents of this book are useful to researchers and professionals engaged in the re-engineering of engineering education.
Contributions to Networked and Event-Triggered Control of Linear Systems (Springer Theses)
by María Guinaldo LosadaThis book reports on a set of new techniques for resolving current issues in networked control systems. The main focus is on strategies for event-based control, for both centralized and decentralized architectures. The first part of the book addresses the problem of single-loop networked control systems and proposes an anticipative remote controller for dealing with delays and packet losses. The second part of the book proposes a distributed event-based control strategy for networked dynamical systems, which has been implemented in a test-bed of mobile robots, and provides readers with a thorough description of an interactive simulator used to validate the results. This thesis, examined at the Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia in 2013, received the award for best thesis in control engineering from the Control Engineering group of the Spanish Committee of Automatic Control in 2015.
Contributions to Partial Differential Equations and Applications (Computational Methods in Applied Sciences #47)
by O. Pironneau J. Periaux P. Neittaanmäki Y. A. Kuznetsov W. Fitzgibbon B. N. ChetverushkinThis book treats Modelling of CFD problems, Numerical tools for PDE, and Scientific Computing and Systems of ODE for Epidemiology, topics that are closely related to the scientific activities and interests of Prof. William Fitzgibbon, Prof. Yuri Kuznetsov, and Prof. O. Pironneau, whose outstanding achievements are recognised in this volume. It contains 20 contributions from leading scientists in applied mathematics dealing with partial differential equations and their applications to engineering, ab-initio chemistry and life sciences. It includes the mathematical and numerical contributions to PDE for applications presented at the ECCOMAS thematic conference "Contributions to PDE for Applications" held at Laboratoire Jacques Louis Lions in Paris, France, August 31- September 1, 2015, and at the Department of Mathematics, University of Houston, Texas, USA, February 26-27, 2016. This event brought together specialists from universities and research institutions who are developing or applying numerical PDE or ODE methods with an emphasis on industrial and societal applications. This volume is of interest to researchers and practitioners as well as advanced students or engineers in applied and computational mathematics. All contributions are written at an advanced scientific level with no effort made by the editors to make this volume self-contained. It is assumed that the reader is a specialist already who knows the basis of this field of research and has the capability of understanding and appreciating the latest developments in this field.
control
by Lydia KangFor fans of Uglies comes a spiraling, intense sci fi thriller."Control blew me away. The twists and turns and suspense made for a thrilling ride. Zel is as authentic a character as I've read in a very long time. Highly recommended" - James Dashner, New York Times bestselling author of The Maze RunnerSet in 2150 -- in a world of automatic cars, nightclubs with auditory ecstasy drugs, and guys with four arms -- this is about the human genetic "mistakes" that society wants to forget, and the way that outcasts can turn out to be heroes.When their overprotective father is killed in a terrible accident, Zel and her younger sister, Dylia, are lost in grief. But it's not until strangers appear, using bizarre sensory weapons, that the life they had is truly eviscerated. Zel ends up in a safe house for teens that aren't like any she's ever seen -- teens who, by law, shouldn't even exist. One of them -- an angry tattooed boy haunted by tragedy -- can help Zel reunite with her sister.But only if she is willing to lose him.
control
by Lydia KangFor fans of Uglies comes a spiraling, intense sci fi thriller. "Control blew me away. The twists and turns and suspense made for a thrilling ride. Zel is as authentic a character as I've read in a very long time. Highly recommended" - James Dashner, New York Times bestselling author of The Maze Runner Set in 2150 -- in a world of automatic cars, nightclubs with auditory ecstasy drugs, and guys with four arms -- this is about the human genetic "mistakes" that society wants to forget, and the way that outcasts can turn out to be heroes. When their overprotective father is killed in a terrible accident, Zel and her younger sister, Dylia, are lost in grief. But it's not until strangers appear, using bizarre sensory weapons, that the life they had is truly eviscerated. Zel ends up in a safe house for teens that aren't like any she's ever seen -- teens who, by law, shouldn't even exist. One of them -- an angry tattooed boy haunted by tragedy -- can help Zel reunite with her sister. But only if she is willing to lose him.
Control: The Dark History and Troubling Present of Eugenics
by Adam Rutherford* FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF HOW TO ARGUE WITH A RACIST *Throughout history, people have sought to improve society by reducing suffering, eliminating disease or enhancing desirable qualities in their children. But this wish goes hand in hand with the desire to impose control over who can marry, who can procreate and who is permitted to live. In the Victorian era, in the shadow of Darwin's ideas about evolution, a new full-blooded attempt to impose control over our unruly biology began to grow in the clubs, salons and offices of the powerful. It was enshrined in a political movement that bastardised science, and for sixty years enjoyed bipartisan and huge popular support. Eugenics was vigorously embraced in dozens of countries. It was also a cornerstone of Nazi ideology, and forged a path that led directly to the gates of Auschwitz. But the underlying ideas are not merely historical. The legacy of eugenics persists in our language and literature, from the words 'moron' and 'imbecile' to the themes of some of our greatest works of culture. Today, with new gene editing techniques, very real conversations are happening - including in the heart of British government - about tinkering with the DNA of our unborn children, to make them smarter, fitter, stronger. CONTROL tells the story of attempts by the powerful throughout history to dictate reproduction and regulate the interface of breeding and society. It is an urgently needed examination that unpicks one of the defining and most destructive ideas of the twentieth century. To know this history is to inoculate ourselves against its being repeated.
Control: The Dark History and Troubling Present of Eugenics
by Adam RutherfordThroughout history, people have sought to improve society by reducing suffering, eliminating disease or enhancing desirable qualities in their children. But this wish goes hand in hand with the desire to impose control over who can marry, who can procreate and who is permitted to live. In the Victorian era, in the shadow of Darwin's ideas about evolution, a new full-blooded attempt to impose control over our unruly biology began to grow in the clubs, salons and offices of the powerful. It was enshrined in a political movement that bastardised science, and for sixty years enjoyed bipartisan and huge popular support. Eugenics was vigorously embraced in dozens of countries. It was also a cornerstone of Nazi ideology, and forged a path that led directly to the gates of Auschwitz. But the underlying ideas are not merely historical. The legacy of eugenics persists in our language and literature, from the words 'moron' and 'imbecile' to the themes of some of our greatest works of culture. Today, with new gene editing techniques, very real conversations are happening - including in the heart of British government - about tinkering with the DNA of our unborn children, to make them smarter, fitter, stronger. CONTROL tells the story of attempts by the powerful throughout history to dictate reproduction and regulate the interface of breeding and society. It is an urgently needed examination that unpicks one of the defining and most destructive ideas of the twentieth century. To know this history is to inoculate ourselves against its being repeated.
Control: The Dark History And Troubling Present Of Eugenics
by Adam RutherfordHow did an obscure academic idea pave the way to the Holocaust within just fifty years? Control is a book about eugenics, what geneticist Adam Rutherford calls “a defining idea of the twentieth century.” Inspired by Darwin’s ideas about evolution, eugenics arose in Victorian England as a theory for improving the British population, and quickly spread to America, where it was embraced by presidents, funded by Gilded Age monopolists, and enshrined into racist American laws that became the ideological cornerstone of the Third Reich. Despite this horrific legacy, eugenics looms large today as the advances in genetics in the last thirty years—from the sequencing of the human genome to modern gene editing techniques—have brought the idea of population purification back into the mainstream. Eugenics has “a short history, but a long past,” Rutherford writes. The first half of Control is the history of an idea, from its roots in key philosophical texts of the classical world all the way into their genocidal enactment in the twentieth century. The second part of the book explores how eugenics operates today, as part of our language and culture, as part of current political and racial discussions, and as an eternal temptation to powerful people who wish to improve society through reproductive control. With disarming wit and scientific precision, Rutherford explains why eugenics still figures prominently in the twenty-first century, despite its genocidal past. And he confronts insidious recurring questions—did eugenics work in Nazi Germany? And could it work today?—revealing the intellectual bankruptcy of the idea, and the scientific impossibility of its realization.
Control and Filtering for Semi-Markovian Jump Systems (Studies in Systems, Decision and Control #81)
by Peng Shi Ligang Wu Fanbiao LiThis book presents up-to-date research developments and novel methodologies on semi-Markovian jump systems (S-MJS). It presents solutions to a series of problems with new approaches for the control and filtering of S-MJS, including stability analysis, sliding mode control, dynamic output feedback control, robust filter design, and fault detection. A set of newly developed techniques such as piecewise analysis method, positively invariant set approach, event-triggered method, and cone complementary linearization approaches are presented. Control and Filtering for Semi-Markovian Jump Systems is a comprehensive reference for researcher and practitioners working in control engineering, system sciences and applied mathematics, and is also a useful source of information for senior undergraduates and graduates in these areas. The readers will benefit from some new concepts, new models and new methodologies with practical significance in control engineering and signal processing.
Control and Filtering of Fuzzy Systems Under Communication Channels
by Xiao-Heng Chang Jun Xiong Zhi-Min Li Bo WuThis book systematically studies the feedback control and filtering problems for nonlinear plants with limited communication channels based on T-S fuzzy models. By fully considering different network-induced phenomena, such as signal quantizations, time-delays, data packet dropouts, communication protocols, cyber attacks, and so on, some significant strategies are provided for various performance analysis and different controller/filter synthesis of fuzzy systems. The event-triggered mechanism is also mentioned to save the communication resource. Moreover, some results are extended to the fault detection and fault-tolerant control. The book provides some new methodologies in analysis and synthesis of fuzzy systems under communication channels, and can serve as a valuable reference material for researchers wishing to explore the area of control and filtering of fuzzy systems and networked systems.