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A Strategy for Using Multicriteria Analysis in Decision-Making: A Guide for Simple and Complex Environmental Projects
by Nolberto MunierThis book develops a whole strategy for decision-making, with the full participation of the decision-maker and utilizing continuous feedback. It introduces the use of the very well-known and proven methodology, linear programming, but specially adapted for this purpose. For this, it incorporates a method to include subjective concepts, as well as the possibility of working with many different and even contradictory objectives. The book is liberally populated with diverse case studies to illustrate the concepts. This practical guide will be of interest to anyone undertaking analysis and decision-making, on both simple and complex projects, and who is looking for a strategy to organize, classify, and evaluate the large amount of information required to make an informed decision. The strategy includes methods to analyze the results and extract conclusions from them.
A Student Handbook for Writing in Biology
by Karin KniselyA Student Handbook for Writing in Biology, Fifth Edition, provides practical advice to students who are learning to write according to the conventions in biology. The first chapter introduces the scientific method and experimental design. Because the scientific method relies on the work of other scientists, Chapter 2 provides instructions for finding primary literature using article databases and scholarly search engines. Journal articles have a well-defined structure, but are typically hard to read because they are written for specialists. To help students read and comprehend the technical literature, Chapter 3 describes scientific paper tone and format, provides strategies for reading technical material, emphasizes the importance of paraphrasing when taking notes, and gives examples of how to present and cite information to avoid plagiarism. Using the standards of journal publication as a model, students are then given specific instructions for writing their own laboratory reports with accepted format and content, self-evaluating drafts, and using peer and instructor feedback to refine their writing. Besides writing about it, scientists communicate scientific knowledge through posters and oral presentations. How these presentation forms differ from papers in terms of purpose, content, and delivery is the subject of the last two chapters of the book. <p><p>Scientific communication requires more than excellent writing skills--it requires technical competence on the computer. Most first-year students have had little experience producing Greek letters and mathematical symbols, sub- and superscripted characters, graphs, tables, and equations. Yet these are characteristics of scientific papers that require a familiarity with the computer beyond basic keyboarding skills. Furthermore, most first-year students are used to doing calculations on a handheld calculator. When they learn how to use Excel's formulas to do repetitive calculations, their time spent on data analysis decreases markedly. For exactly these reasons, almost half of the book is devoted to Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint features that enable scientists to produce professional quality papers, graphs, posters, and oral presentations effectively and efficiently.
A Student's Guide to Data and Error Analysis
by Herman J. C. BerendsenAll students taking laboratory courses within the physical sciences and engineering will benefit from this 2011 book, whilst researchers will find it an invaluable reference. This concise, practical guide brings the reader up-to-speed on the proper handling and presentation of scientific data and its inaccuracies. It covers all the vital topics with practical guidelines, computer programs (in Python), and recipes for handling experimental errors and reporting experimental data. In addition to the essentials, it also provides further background material for advanced readers who want to understand how the methods work. Plenty of examples, exercises and solutions are provided to aid and test understanding, whilst useful data, tables and formulas are compiled in a handy section for easy reference.
A Student's Guide to Natural Science (ISI Guides to the Major Disciplines #8)
by Stephen M. BarrA concise introduction to scientific history and ideas, with a special emphasis on physics and astronomy. Physicist Stephen M. Barr&’s lucid Student&’s Guide to Natural Science aims to give students an understanding, in broad outline, of the nature, history, and great ideas of natural science from ancient times to the present, with a primary focus on physics. Barr begins with the contributions of the ancient Greeks, in particular the two great ideas that reality can be understood by the systematic use of reason and that phenomena have natural explanations. He goes on to discuss, among other things, the medieval roots of the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century, the role played by religion in fostering the idea of a lawful natural order, and the major breakthroughs of modern physics, including how many newer &“revolutionary&” theories are in fact related to much older ones. Throughout this thoughtful guide, Barr draws his readers&’ attention to the larger themes and trends of scientific history, including the increasing unification and &“mathematization&” of our view of the physical world that has resulted in the laws of nature appearing more and more as forming a single harmonious mathematical edifice.
A Student's Guide to the Study, Practice, and Tools of Modern Mathematics (Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications)
by Martin Erickson Donald BindnerA Student's Guide to the Study, Practice, and Tools of Modern Mathematics provides an accessible introduction to the world of mathematics. It offers tips on how to study and write mathematics as well as how to use various mathematical tools, from LaTeX and Beamer to Mathematica and Maple to MATLAB and R. Along with a color insert, the text include
A Study into the Design of Steerable Microphone Arrays (SpringerBriefs in Electrical and Computer Engineering)
by Chiong Ching Lai Sven Erik Nordholm Yee Hong LeungThe book covers the design formulations for broadband beamformer targeting nearfield and farfield sources. The book content includes background information on the acoustic environment, including propagation medium, the array geometries, signal models and basic beamformer designs. Subsequently it introduces design formulation for nearfield, farfield and mixed nearfield-farfield beamformers and extends the design formulation into electronically steerable beamformers. In addition, a robust formulation is introduced for all the designs mentioned.
A Study of Ship Manoeuvrability
by R. P. GokarnThis book presents various aspects of Ship Manoeuvrability in a form that can be understood without undue effort. Beginning with the equations of motion, the book describes the main manoeuvring mathematical models with their application in the numerical simulation of various manoeuvres. The other topics covered in the book range from manoeuvring model tests and full-scale trials through rudder hydrodynamics and design to manoeuvring standards and guidelines. This book also discusses ship autopilots and dynamic positioning. Finally, it provides a description of unconventional rudders and propulsion devices used for manoeuvring. The book has more than 180 figures to explain various concepts and 40 exercises with partial solutions to confirm that the reader has understood the subject. The book also includes recent developments in the subject and can be a valuable reference for beginners, researchers, and professionals interested in the field.
A Study of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident Process: What caused the core melt and hydrogen explosion?
by Michio IshikawaWritten by an expert in the field, this book is perfect for those who would like to know what happened at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Part 1 of the book studies how core melts occurred in Fukushima Daiichi units 1, 2, and 3, respectively, based on evidence from the Three-Mile Island core melt accident and fuel behavior experiments performed in the 1970s under the cooperation between the United States, Germany, and Japan. This information explains the accident processes without contradicting data from Fukushima, which was published in the TEPCO report. The hydrogen explosions in units 1, 3, and 4 are also explained logically in conjunction with the above core melt process. Part 2 clarifies how the background radiation level of the site doubled: The first rise was just a leak from small openings in units 1 and 3 associated with fire-pump connection work. The second rise led to direct radioactive material release from unit 2. Evacuation dose adequacy and its timing are discussed with reference to the accident process, and the necessity for embankments surrounding nuclear power plants to increase protection against natural disasters is also discussed. New proposals for safety design and emergency preparedness are suggested based on lessons learned from the accident as well as from new experiences. Finally, a concept for decommissioning the Fukushima site and a recovery plan are introduced.
A Study on Antimicrobial Effects of Nanosilver for Drinking Water Disinfection (Springer Theses)
by Xu YangThis thesis examines the feasibility of using silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) as a viable disinfectant. It explores the opportunities and challenges of using AgNPs as an antimicrobial agent, and includes the latest research findings. It compares three kinds of AgNPs with regard to their antibacterial and antiviral effects; their sustainability in real water matrices; and their antiviral mechanisms. The outcome of this research equips the water industry with a better understanding of the capacity, extent and mechanisms of nanosilver disinfection. It is of interest to graduate students, academics and researchers in the area of nanotechnology and environmental engineering.
A Study on Catalytic Conversion of Non-Food Biomass into Chemicals: Fusion of Chemical Sciences and Engineering (Springer Theses)
by Mizuho YabushitaThe topic of this thesis is catalytic conversion ofnon-food, abundant, and renewable biomass such as cellulose and chitin tochemicals. In biorefinery, chemical transformation of polymers to valuablecompounds has attracted worldwide interest for building sustainable societies. First, the current situation of this hot research area has been summarized wellin the general introduction of the thesis, which helps readers to becomefamiliar with this topic. Next, the author explains high-yielding production ofglucose from cellulose by using an alkali-activated carbon as a catalyst,resulting in a yield of glucose as high as 88%, which is one of the highestyields ever reported. The characterization of carbon materials has indicatedthat weak acid sites on the catalyst promote the reaction, which is markedlydifferent from reported catalytic systems that require strong acids. Inaddition, the first catalytic transformation of chitin with retention of N-acetyl groups has been developed. Thecombination of mechanocatalytic hydrolysis and thermal solvolysis enables theproduction of N-acetylated monomers ingood yields of up to 70%. The catalytic systems demonstrated in this thesis areunique in the fields of both chemistry and chemical engineering, and their highefficiencies can contribute to green and sustainable chemistry in the future. Meanwhile, mechanistic studies based on characterization, thermodynamics,kinetics, and model reactions have also been performed to reveal the roles ofcatalysts during the reactions. The results will be helpful for readers todesign and develop new catalysts and reaction systems.
A Study on Radio Access Technology Selection Algorithms (SpringerBriefs in Electrical and Computer Engineering)
by Leijia Wu Kumbesan SandrasegaranThis book discusses the basic idea of Common Radio Resource Management (CRRM), especially on the Radio Access Technologies selection part of CRRM. It introduces two interaction functions (information reporting function and RRM decision support function) and four interaction degrees (from low to very high) of CRRM. Four possible CRRM topologies (CRRM server, integrated CRRM, Hierarchical CRRM, and CRRM in user terminals) are described. The book presents different Radio Access Technologies selection algorithms, including single criterion and multiple criteria based algorithms are presented and compares them. Finally, the book analyses the advantages and disadvantages of the different selection algorithms.
A Study on Spin Mechanics Phenomena in Spin-Lattice Coupled Systems (Springer Theses)
by Hiroki ArisawaThis book presents an experimental investigation of spin-mechanical phenomena in spin-lattice coupled systems. The author demonstrates that the resonant mechanical vibration of a micro magnetic mechanical oscillator changes in response to the magnetization process in the oscillator. The author also investigates a spin-current-induced volume modulation effect in a giant magnetostrictive material. The results presented here accelerate the exploration of cross-correlation effects between spintronics and micromechanics and provide insight into magnetomechanical properties associated with a spin current.
A Summer of Horses
by Carol FennerTen-year-old Faith struggles to overcome her fear of horses and her feelings of jealousy toward her talented older sister when they spend the summer on a horse farm.
A Survey on 3D Cameras: Metrological Comparison of Time-of-Flight, Structured-Light and Active Stereoscopy Technologies (SpringerBriefs in Computer Science)
by Silvio Giancola Matteo Valenti Remo SalaThis book is a valuable resource to deeply understand the technology used in 3D cameras. In this book, the authors summarize and compare the specifications of the main 3D cameras available in the mass market. The authors present a deep metrological analysis of the main camera based on the three main technologies: Time-of-Flight, Structured-Light and Active Stereoscopy, and provide qualitative results for any user to understand the underlying technology within 3D camera, as well as practical guidance on how to get the most of them for a given application.
A Survey on Coordinated Power Management in Multi-Tenant Data Centers
by Thant Zin Oo Nguyen H. Tran Shaolei Ren Choong Seon HongThis book investigates the coordinated power management of multi-tenant data centers that account for a large portion of the data center industry. The authors include discussion of their quick growth and their electricity consumption, which has huge economic and environmental impacts. This book covers the various coordinated management solutions in the existing literature focusing on efficiency, sustainability, and demand response aspects. First, the authors provide a background on the multi-tenant data center covering the stake holders, components, power infrastructure, and energy usage. Then, each power management mechanism is described in terms of motivation, problem formulation, challenges and solution.
A Survival Guide for Research Scientists
by Ratna TantraResearch scientists play a pivotal role in society. Their passion for science will drive them forward, leading to new discoveries that will ultimately make the world a better place. Unfortunately, as the professional environment becomes more and more competitive, research scientists today cannot just rely on technical knowledge to carve successful careers. Besides technical skills, they will need to acquire other skills, such as how to communicate their science to the outside world. A Survival Guide for Research Scientists is a one-stop-shop that will help you to develop those core skills not often taught at school or university. The book has been written by an author with more than 20 years of scientific research experience (across different scientific disciplines). She has not only been a research scientist but also a writer, a consultant, a sole-trader and a project manager. A Survival Guide for Research Scientists takes on a holistic approach in order to help you pave the way for success. As such, it features practical guidelines on how to: • conduct your scientific research (how to: do literature review, design experiments, adopt best practice, ensure health and safety, etc.).• write and edit (reports, bid proposals, peer review publications, etc).• interact with the outside world (be a team leader, manage a project, network, deal with difficult people, do presentations, organise meetings, etc.).• look after your career (and get your dream job). • look after yourself (and how to manage stress). • look for a job (develop your CV, prepare for interviews, etc.). • become self-employed (and achieve business success). • deal with redundancy (and move forward in life, etc) Whatever your scientific background may be, this book is the perfect accompaniment, to guide you at every stage of your career.
A Survival Guide to the Misinformation Age: Scientific Habits of Mind
by David HelfandWe live in the Information Age, with billions of bytes of data just two swipes away. Yet how much of this is mis- or even disinformation? A lot of it is, and your search engine can't tell the difference. As a result, an avalanche of misinformation threatens to overwhelm the discourse we so desperately need to address complex social problems such as climate change, the food and water crises, biodiversity collapse, and emerging threats to public health. This book provides an inoculation against the misinformation epidemic by cultivating scientific habits of mind. Anyone can do it—indeed, everyone must do it if our species is to survive on this crowded and finite planet.This survival guide supplies an essential set of apps for the prefrontal cortex while making science both accessible and entertaining. It will dissolve your fear of numbers, demystify graphs, and elucidate the key concepts of probability, all while celebrating the precise use of language and logic. David Helfand, one of our nation's leading astronomers and science educators, has taught scientific habits of mind to generations in the classroom, where he continues to wage a provocative battle against sloppy thinking and the encroachment of misinformation.
A Survival Guide to the Misinformation Age: Scientific Habits of Mind
by David J. HelfandLearning how to tell news from fake news from fake fake news: An &“important and timely&” book on protecting ourselves, and society, from the infodemic (Library Journal). We have billions of bytes of data at our fingertips. But how much of it is misinformation—or even disinformation? A lot of it is, and your search engine can&’t tell the difference. As a result, an avalanche of misinformation threatens to overwhelm the discourse we so desperately need to address complex social problems such as climate change, the food and water crises, biodiversity collapse, and emerging threats to public health. This book provides an inoculation against the misinformation epidemic by cultivating scientific habits of mind. Anyone can do it—indeed, everyone must do it if our species is to survive on this crowded and finite planet. This survival guide supplies an essential set of apps for the prefrontal cortex while making science both accessible and entertaining. It will dissolve your fear of numbers, demystify graphs, and elucidate the key concepts of probability, all while celebrating the precise use of language and logic. David Helfand, one of our nation&’s leading astronomers and science educators, has taught scientific habits of mind to generations in the classroom, where he continues to wage a provocative battle against sloppy thinking and the encroachment of misinformation. &“Provides a vital antidote to the ills of misinformation by teaching systematic and rigorous scientific reasoning.&” —The Times Literary Supplement
A Sustainability Challenge
by Committee on Food Security for All as a Sustainability ChallengeThe National Research Council's Science and Technology for Sustainability Program hosted two workshops in 2011 addressing the sustainability challenges associated with food security for all. The first workshop, Measuring Food Insecurity and Assessing the Sustainability of Global Food Systems, explored the availability and quality of commonly used indicators for food security and malnutrition; poverty; and natural resources and agricultural productivity. It was organized around the three broad dimensions of sustainable food security: (1) availability, (2) access, and (3) utilization. The workshop reviewed the existing data to encourage action and identify knowledge gaps. The second workshop, Exploring Sustainable Solutions for Increasing Global Food Supplies, focused specifically on assuring the availability of adequate food supplies. How can food production be increased to meet the needs of a population expected to reach over 9 billion by 2050? Workshop objectives included identifying the major challenges and opportunities associated with achieving sustainable food security and identifying needed policy, science, and governance interventions. Workshop participants discussed long term natural resource constraints, specifically water, land and forests, soils, biodiversity and fisheries. They also examined the role of knowledge, technology, modern production practices, and infrastructure in supporting expanded agricultural production and the significant risks to future productivity posed by climate change. This is a report of two workshops.
A Sustainable Green Future: Perspectives on Energy, Economy, Industry, Cities and Environment
by Suphi S. OncelThe aim of this book is to open a vision to sustainability and development through a holistic perspective comprising the critical blocks of energy, environment and economy. From renewable energy, urban infrastructure, societal health to industrial symbiosis, the book assesses critical issues to reach a green future with realistic solutions proposed by a diverse range of multidisciplinary experts. It is intended for a broad readership of academics, researchers and industry experts focusing on these fields, and with specializations in sustainability. The book is divided into different clusters starting with an introductory foreword to express the theme of the book and the route of the titles. The first cluster of the book highlights various multidisciplinary perspectives considering the interaction between different expertise. From engineering to economy supported with social pillars, this section gives the critical points of selected topics to focus on the future with a sustainability vision. The second cluster focuses on health issues, with discussion about the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the way forward. Critical points like vaccines, health care and food security are highlighted. The third cluster is comprised of titles related to the urban environment and infrastructure. New solutions and discussions on biodesign, waste management and transportation are covered in this section. The last cluster covers energy, and highlights renewable energies such as bioethanol, biogas and wind.
A Sustainable Philosophy—The Work of Bryan Norton (The International Library of Environmental, Agricultural and Food Ethics #26)
by Ben A. Minteer Sahotra SarkarThis book provides a richly interdisciplinary assessment of the thought and work of Bryan Norton, one of most innovative and influential environmental philosophers of the past thirty years. In landmark works such as Toward Unity Among Environmentalists and Sustainability: A Philosophy of Adaptive Ecosystem Management, Norton charted a new and highly productive course for an applied environmental philosophy, one fully engaged with the natural and social sciences as well as the management professions. A Sustainable Philosophy gathers together a distinguished group of scholars and professionals from a wide array of fields (including environmental philosophy, natural resource management, environmental economics, law, and public policy) to engage Norton’s work and its legacy for our shared environmental future. A study in the power of intellectual legacy and the real-world influence of philosophy, the book will be of great interest scholars and students in environmental philosophy, public policy and management, and environmental and sustainability studies. By considering the value and impact of Norton’s body of work it will also chart a course for the next generation of pragmatic environmental philosophers and sustainability scholars grappling with questions of environmental value, knowledge, and practice in a rapidly changing world.
A Synergistic Framework for Hardware IP Privacy and Integrity Protection
by Meng Li David Z. PanThis book proposes a synergistic framework to help IP vendors to protect hardware IP privacy and integrity from design, optimization, and evaluation perspectives. The proposed framework consists of five interacting components that directly target at the primary IP violations. All the five algorithms are developed based on rigorous mathematical modeling for primary IP violations and focus on different stages of IC design, which can be combined to provide a formal security guarantee.
A Systematic Approach to Learning Robot Programming with ROS
by Wyatt Newman<p>A Systematic Approach to Learning Robot Programming with ROS provides a comprehensive, introduction to the essential components of ROS through detailed explanations of simple code examples along with the corresponding theory of operation. The book explores the organization of ROS, how to understand ROS packages, how to use ROS tools, how to incorporate existing ROS packages into new applications, and how to develop new packages for robotics and automation. It also facilitates continuing education by preparing the reader to better understand the existing on-line documentation. <p>The book is organized into six parts. It begins with an introduction to ROS foundations, including writing ROS nodes and ROS tools. Messages, Classes, and Servers are also covered. The second part of the book features simulation and visualization with ROS, including coordinate transforms. <p>The next part of the book discusses perceptual processing in ROS. It includes coverage of using cameras in ROS, depth imaging and point clouds, and point cloud processing. Mobile robot control and navigation in ROS is featured in the fourth part of the book <p>The fifth section of the book contains coverage of robot arms in ROS. This section explores robot arm kinematics, arm motion planning, arm control with the Baxter Simulator, and an object-grabber package. The last part of the book focuses on system integration and higher-level control, including perception-based and mobile manipulation. <p>This accessible text includes examples throughout and C++ code examples are also provided at https://github.com/wsnewman/learning_ros</p>
A Systematic Guide to Leadership Selection Using Total Quality Management Techniques
by Luis Rabelo Charles W. Davis, Jr. Ahmed Elattar Hamed M. AlmalkiThe old cliché states that not every manager is a leader, but the more important part of that sentiment is that to be a good manager, one has to be a good leader. This perception is because good managers do more than manage. They have to lead by inspiration, they have to lead by example, and they have to lead through the best times for their organizations as well as the absolute worst times. A Systematic Guide to Leadership Selection Using Total Quality Management Techniques identifies the application gap and presents a methodology based on Total Quality Management (TQM) to support the guidance of a process to select leadership (at any level of the organization). A modification to the House of Quality and a product of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is presented and discussed as the core of a leader selection process. Two case studies are used to reinforce the concepts and applications. Finally, the book introduces some experiments for leadership development using virtual worlds and ends with a note for the future using the metaverse and digital twins for leadership. The book is intended for professionals and executives wanting to learn more about leader selection, engineering and business students, directors of human resources, and researchers in the field of leadership.
A Systemic Perspective on Cognition and Mathematics (Communications in Cybernetics, Systems Science and Engineering)
by Jeffrey Yi-Lin ForrestThis book is devoted to the study of human thought, its systemic structure, and the historical development of mathematics both as a product of thought and as a fascinating case analysis. After demonstrating that systems research constitutes the second dimension of modern science, the monograph discusses the yoyo model, a recent ground-breaking deve