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Encyclopedia of Mineral and Energy Policy
by Peter Cameron Günter Tiess Tapan MajumderThis Encyclopedia provides a cutting-edge, up-to-date reference source on mineral and energy policies around the world. It offers information on GDP, population, investment scenarios and current environmental regulations in over one hundred thirty countries from 13 geographic regions around the world. It covers topics such as geo-conservation, deep mining technology as well as rare earth, green technology and international organizations that are actively involved in minerals and energy through exploration, arbitration, marketing and investment. Topical entries are presented alphabetically with extensive cross-referencing to ensure user-friendly reading. This Encyclopedia presents the work of more than 20 section editors and more than 100 international experts in the fields of mineral and energy policies. It is designed as a essential resource for researchers, students, libraries, industry, governments, and international organizations and presents a wealth of insights and guidance for corporate planning regarding exploration and financial investments, as well as for venture capitalist and international funding bodies. As such, it provides an indispensable point of reference for future research on mineral and energy policy.
Encyclopedia of Nanotechnology
by Bharat BhushanThe Encyclopedia of Nanotechnology provides a comprehensive and multi-disciplinary reference to the many fields relevant to the general field of nanotechnology. It aims to be a comprehensive and genuinely international reference work and will be aimed at graduate students, researchers, and practitioners. The Encyclopedia of Nanotechnology introduces a large number of terms, devices and processes which are related to the multi-disciplinary field of Nanotechnology. For each entry in this 4 volume set a 4-10 page description is provided by an expert in the field. Contributions are made by experts from the US, Europe and Asia, making this a comprehensive and truly international Reference Work. The authors are typically from academia, however one quarter of all entries were written by persons from industry. Topics covered in the Reference Work include: - Nano- Microfabrication Processes and Materials for Fabrication - Nanoscale Measurement Techniques - Nanostructures - Nanomaterials - Nanomechanics - Molecular Modeling and Its Role in Advancing Nanotechnology - MEMS/NEMS - Microfluidics and Nanofluidics - Biomedical Engineering and Biodevices - Bio/Nanotechnology and Nanomedicine - Bio/Nanotechnology for cellular engineering - Drug Delivery - Technology and Applications - Assembly - Organic Electronics - Nano-optical Devices - Micro/nano Integration - Materials, Coatings and Surface Treatments for Nanotribology - Micro/NanoReliability - thermal, mechanical etc. - Biomimetics
Encyclopedia of PVC: Resin Manufacture and Properties - Volume 1 of 4 (Print) (PVC Encyclopedia)
by Leonard I. Nass Charles A. Heiberger"Volume 1 of this outstanding resource concentrates on safety and environmental concerns in the manufacture and use of resins, and thoroughly discusses theories of degradation, plasticization, solvation, and stabilization. "
Encyclopedia of Pest Management, Volume II
by David PimentelWith contributions from more than 200 esteemed international authorities and containing approximately 200 entries, the Encyclopedia of Pest Management, Volume II is a key reference for professionals in academia, industry, and government, as well as students at all levels. Containing completely new entries, this volume is designed to be regularly co
Encyclopedia of Plasma Technology - Two Volume Set
by J. Leon ShohetTechnical plasmas have a wide range of industrial applications. The Encyclopedia of Plasma Technology covers all aspects of plasma technology from the fundamentals to a range of applications across a large number of industries and disciplines. Topics covered include nanotechnology, solar cell technology, biomedical and clinical applications, electronic materials, sustainability, and clean technologies. The book bridges materials science, industrial chemistry, physics, and engineering, making it a must have for researchers in industry and academia, as well as those working on application-oriented plasma technologies. Also Available OnlineThis Taylor & Francis encyclopedia is also available through online subscription, offering a variety of extra benefits for researchers, students, and librarians, including: Citation tracking and alerts Active reference linking Saved searches and marked lists HTML and PDF format options Contact Taylor and Francis for more information or to inquire about subscription options and print/online combination packages.US: (Tel) 1.888.318.2367; (E-mail) e-reference@taylorandfrancis.comInternational: (Tel) +44 (0) 20 7017 6062; (E-mail) online.sales@tandf.co.uk
Encyclopedia of Polymer Applications, 3 Volume Set
by Munmaya MishraUndoubtedly the applications of polymers are rapidly evolving. Technology is continually changing and quickly advancing as polymers are needed to solve a variety of day-to-day challenges leading to improvements in quality of life. The Encyclopedia of Polymer Applications presents state-of-the-art research and development on the applications of polymers. This groundbreaking work provides important overviews to help stimulate further advancements in all areas of polymers. This comprehensive multi-volume reference includes articles contributed from a diverse and global team of renowned researchers. It offers a broad-based perspective on a multitude of topics in a variety of applications, as well as detailed research information, figures, tables, illustrations, and references. The encyclopedia provides introductions, classifications, properties, selection, types, technologies, shelf-life, recycling, testing and applications for each of the entries where applicable. It features critical content for both novices and experts including, engineers, scientists (polymer scientists, materials scientists, biomedical engineers, macromolecular chemists), researchers, and students, as well as interested readers in academia, industry, and research institutions.
Encyclopedia of Polymeric Nanomaterials
by Shiro Kobayashi Klaus MüllenOver the last few years, nanoscience and nanotechnology have been the focus of significant research attention, both from academia and industry. This sustained focus has in-turn driven the interdisciplinary field of material science research to the forefront of scientific inquiry through the creation and study of nanomaterials. Nanomaterials play an important role in the development of new materials as they can be used to influence and control physical properties and specific characteristics of other materials. Nanostructured materials that have been created include nanoparticles, nanocapsules, nanoporous materials, polymer multi-layers to name a few. These are increasingly used across applications as diverse as automotive, environment, energy, catalysis, biomedical, pharmaceutical, and polymer industries. The Encyclopedia of Polymeric Nanomaterials (EPN) intends to be a comprehensive reference work on this dynamic field studying nanomaterials within the context of the relationship between molecular structure and the properties of polymeric materials. Alphabetically organized as an encyclopedic Major Reference Work, EPN will cover the subject along multiple classification axes represented by name, source, properties, function, and structures or even processes, applications and usage. The underlying themes of the encyclopedia has been carefully identified to be based not just on material-based and function-based representation but also on structure- and process-based representation. The encyclopedia will have an exclusive focus on polymeric nanomaterials (for e. g. , nanoceramics, nanocomposites, quantum dots, thin films) and will be a first of its kind work to have such an organization providing an overview to the concepts, practices and applications in the field. The encyclopedia intends to cover research and development work ranging from the fundamental mechanisms used for the fabrication of polymeric nanomaterials to their advanced application across multiple industries.
Encyclopedia of Professionalization: Organization of Professions, Production of Professionalities and Growth of Professionalism (ISTE Consignment)
by Richard Wittorski Didier DemaziereProfessionalization has become a given in the worlds of work and education. For a wide variety of professions, public and private organizations and training and further education courses, professionalization is an inescapable reality. However, it takes on diverse, even contradictory meanings, according to what it represents: a managerial imperative imposed by public or managerial policies, or a set of goals defined by an ideal of service or quality of work. The purpose of Encyclopedia of Professionalization is to discuss the current challenges facing professionalization and, by exploring major research traditions, to clarify the meanings associated with this concept and the various phenomena it encompasses. Three major notions of professionalization are examined: the manufacturing of professions in pursuit of autonomy, the rise of professionalisms embodying notions of a job well done, and the construction of renewed professionalities at the very heart of work situations and training systems.
Encyclopedia of Radio 3-Volume Set
by Michael C. Keith Christopher H. SterlingProduced in association with the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago, the Encyclopedia of Radio includes more than 600 entries covering major countries and regions of the world as well as specific programs and people, networks and organizations, regulation and policies, audience research, and radio's technology. This encyclopedic work will be the first broadly conceived reference source on a medium that is now nearly eighty years old, with essays that provide essential information on the subject as well as comment on the significance of the particular person, organization, or topic being examined.
Encyclopedia of Remote Sensing (Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series)
by Eni G. NjokuRemote sensing has revolutionized the scientific study of the Earth by enabling measurements of more detailed and hitherto unexplored phenomena with spatially-extensive and global perspectives. Various disciplines and industries have benefited from the dramatic discoveries enabled by remote sensing. This volume cuts across these disciplines and describes the basic foundations, principles and state of the art of remote sensing. It covers the development of remote sensing, the theoretical underpinnings, forward modeling, commercial applications, and global and international coordination and policy. This first encyclopaedic reference on remote sensing describes the concepts, techniques, instrumentation, data analysis, interpretation, and applications of remote sensing, both airborne and space-based. Scientists, engineers, academics, and students can quickly access answers to their reference questions and direction for further study.
Encyclopedia of Scale Insect Pests
by Helen Harman Jan H. Giliomee Jocelyn A. Berry Manuela Branco Lyle Buss Mr Alejandro Caballero Mr Juang Horng Chong Lucía E. Claps C. De Klerk Rodrigo Diaz Imre Foldi Antonio P. Garonna Ilya A. Gavrilov-Zimin Raymond J. Gill Penny J. Gullan Disna N. Gunawardana Sunil Joshi M. Bora Kaydan Paris L. Lambdin Yen-Po Lin Christopher Malumphy Zvi Mendel Vitor Cezar Pacheco da Silva Giuseppina Pellizzari Ana Lúcia Peronti Francesco Porcelli Alex Protasov Ting-Kui Qin Andrea Amalia Ramos Portilla Dewi Sartiami Scott A. Schneider U.G.A.I. Sirisena Pompeo Suma Éva Szita Hirotaka TanakaScale insects feed on plant juices and can easily be transported to new countries on live plants. They sometimes become invasive pests, costing billions of dollars in damage to crops worldwide annually, and farmers try to control them with toxic pesticides, risking environmental damage. Fortunately, scale insects are highly susceptible to control by natural enemies so biological control is possible. They have unique genetic systems, unusual metamorphosis, a broad spectrum of essential symbionts, and some are sources of commercial products like red dyes, shellac and wax. There is, therefore, wide interest in these unusual, destructive, beneficial, and abundant insects. The Encyclopedia of Scale Insect Pests is the most comprehensive work on worldwide scale insect pests, providing detailed coverage of the most important species (230 species in 26 families, 36% of the scale insect pest species known). Advice is provided on collection, preservation, slide-mounting, vouchering, and labelling of specimens, fully illustrated with colour photographs, diagrams and drawings. Pest species are presented in two informal groups of families, the 'primitive' Archaeococcoids followed by the more 'advanced' Neococcoids, covered in phylogenetic order. Each family is illustrated and diagnosed based on features of live and slide-mounted specimens, with information on numbers of genera and species, main hosts, distribution, and biology. For the important pest species, coverage includes information on the morphology of live and slide-mounted specimens, common names, principal synonyms, geographical distribution, plant hosts, plant damage and economic impact, reproductive biology, dispersal, and management strategies including biological, cultural and chemical control, sterile insect techniques, regulatory control, early warning systems and field monitoring. An additional complete list of scale insect pests worldwide is provided, comprising 642 species in 28 scale insect families (about 8% of the 8373 species of living scales known), with information on plant hosts, geographical distribution and validation sources. Beneficial uses of scale insects include sources of red dyes, natural resins and waxes, and agents for invasive weed control, alongside the importance of their honeydew to bees for making honey, and as a food source to other animals. Academic researchers, students, entomologists, pest management officials in agribusiness or government including plant quarantine identifiers, extensionists, farmers, field scientists and ecologists will all benefit from this book.
Encyclopedia of Snow, Ice and Glaciers
by Vijay P. Singh Helgi Björnsson Johannes Oerlemans John F. Shroder Martyn Tranter Michael P. Bishop Pratap Singh Umesh K. Haritashya Wilfried HaeberliThe earth's cryosphere, which includes snow, glaciers, ice caps, ice sheets, ice shelves, sea ice, river and lake ice, and permafrost, contains about 75% of the earth's fresh water. It exists at almost all latitudes, from the tropics to the poles, and plays a vital role in controlling the global climate system. It also provides direct visible evidence of the effect of climate change, and, therefore, requires proper understanding of its complex dynamics. This encyclopedia mainly focuses on the various aspects of snow, ice and glaciers, but also covers other cryospheric branches, and provides up-to-date information and basic concepts on relevant topics. It includes alphabetically arranged and professionally written, comprehensive and authoritative academic articles by well-known international experts in individual fields. The encyclopedia contains a broad spectrum of topics, ranging from the atmospheric processes responsible for snow formation; transformation of snow to ice and changes in their properties; classification of ice and glaciers and their worldwide distribution; glaciation and ice ages; glacier dynamics; glacier surface and subsurface characteristics; geomorphic processes and landscape formation; hydrology and sedimentary systems; permafrost degradation; hazards caused by cryospheric changes; and trends of glacier retreat on the global scale along with the impact of climate change. This book can serve as a source of reference at the undergraduate and graduate level and help to better understand snow, ice and glaciers. It will also be an indispensable tool containing specialized literature for geologists, geographers, climatologists, hydrologists, and water resources engineers; as well as for those who are engaged in the practice of agricultural and civil engineering, earth sciences, environmental sciences and engineering, ecosystem management, and other relevant subjects.
Encyclopedia of Soil Science
by Rattan LalNew and Improved Global Edition: Three-Volume Set A ready reference addressing a multitude of soil and soil management concerns, the highly anticipated and widely expanded third edition of Encyclopedia of Soil Science now spans three volumes and covers ground on a global scale. A definitive guide designed for both coursework and self-study, this latest version describes every branch of soil science and delves into trans-disciplinary issues that focus on inter-connectivity or the nexus approach. For Soil Scientists, Crop Scientists, Plant Scientists and More A host of contributors from around the world weigh in on underlying themes relevant to natural and agricultural ecosystems. Factoring in a rapidly changing climate and a vastly growing population, they sound off on topics that include soil degradation, climate change, soil carbon sequestration, food and nutritional security, hidden hunger, water quality, non-point source pollution, micronutrients, and elemental transformations. New in the Third Edition: Contains over 600 entries Offers global geographical and thematic coverage Entries peer reviewed by subject experts Addresses current issues of global significance Encyclopedia of Soil Science, Third Edition: Three Volume Set expertly explains the science of soil and describes the material in terms that are easily accessible to researchers, students, academicians, policy makers, and laymen alike. Also Available OnlineThis Taylor & Francis encyclopedia is also available through online subscription, offering a variety of extra benefits for researchers, students, and librarians, including: Citation tracking and alerts Active reference linking Saved searches and marked lists HTML and PDF format options Contact Taylor and Francis for more information or to inquire about subscription options and print/online combination packages.US: (Tel) 1.888.318.2367; (E-mail) e-reference@taylorandfrancis.comInternational: (Tel) +44 (0) 20 7017 6062; (E-mail) online.sales@tandf.co.uk
Encyclopedia of Solid Earth Geophysics
by Harsh K. Gupta Ajay Manglik Anny Cazenave Eric Robert Engdahl Kalachand Sain Kusumita Arora Rainer Kind Seiya Uyeda Sukanta RoyThe past few decades have witnessed the growth of the Earth Sciences in the pursuit of knowledge and understanding of the planet that we live on. This development addresses the challenging endeavor to enrich human lives with the bounties of Nature as well as to preserve the planet for the generations to come. Solid Earth Geophysics aspires to define and quantify the internal structure and processes of the Earth in terms of the principles of physics and forms the intrinsic framework, which other allied disciplines utilize for more specific investigations. The first edition of the Encyclopedia of Solid Earth Geophysics was published in 1989 by Van Nostrand Reinhold publishing company. More than two decades later, this new volume, edited by Prof. Harsh K. Gupta, represents a thoroughly revised and expanded reference work. It brings together more than 200 articles covering established and new concepts of Geophysics across the various sub-disciplines such as Gravity, Geodesy, Geomagnetism, Seismology, Seismics, Deep Earth Processes, Plate Tectonics, Thermal Domains, Computational Methods, etc. in a systematic and consistent format and standard. It is an authoritative and current reference source with extraordinary width of scope. It draws its unique strength from the expert contributions of editors and authors across the globe. It is designed to serve as a valuable and cherished source of information for current and future generations of professionals.
Encyclopedia of Systems and Control
by John Baillieul Tariq SamadRanging from the basic principles of feedback in servomechanisms to such advanced topics as control of Boolean networks and evolutionary game theory, the Encyclopedia offers more than 200 entries on control and systems engineering and associated fields.
Encyclopedia of Systems and Control
by John Baillieul Tariq SamadThe Encyclopedia of Systems and Control collects a broad range of short expository articles that describe the current state of the art in the central topics of control and systems engineering as well as in many of the related fields in which control is an enabling technology. The editors have assembled the most comprehensive reference possible, and this has been greatly facilitated by the publisher’s commitment to continuously publish updates to the articles as they become available in the future. Although control engineering is now a mature discipline, it remains an area in which there is a great deal of research activity, and as new developments in both theory and applications become available, they will be included in the online version of the encyclopedia. A carefully chosen team of leading authorities in the field has written the well over 300 articles, 50 of them new in the second edition. The topics range from basic principles of feedback in servomechanisms to advanced topics such as the control of Boolean networks and evolutionary game theory and this range has also been expanded to include material on such subjects as the Internet of Things, quantum control and smart grids. Because the content has been selected to reflect both foundational importance and subjects that are of current interest to the research and practitioner communities, a broad readership that includes students, application engineers, and research scientists will find entries that are of interest.
Encyclopedia of Terminology for Educational Communications and Technology
by Rita C RicheyThe Encyclopedia of Terminology for Educational Communications and Technology is a volume of scholarly definitions and short discussions of approximately 180 key terms of the field. Each 200-500 word entry includes material such as the salient attributes of the term, any alternative views and interpretations of the term, and future trends. The definition discussions are supported with relevant literature from educational communications and technology and related fields, such as communications or educational psychology. Individual signed entries are written by over 50 established scholars from throughout the field and throughout the world. The terms included in the encyclopedia cover the many topics addressed by the field's practitioners and scholars. They encompass six general categories of educational technology content - foundational subjects, instructional design, technology and media, analysis and evaluation, management and organizational improvement, and research and theory.
Encyclopedia of Tourism
by Jafar Jafari Honggen XiaoThis encyclopedia is the most comprehensive and updated source of reference in tourism research and practice. It covers both traditional and emerging concepts and terms and is fully international in its scope. Some 769 entries by 871 internationally renowned experts from 124 countries provide a definitive access to the knowledge of tourism and its related fields. Users will find reliable and up-to-date definitions and explanations of the key terms of tourism in this reference book. Tourism is the largest industry in the world and is the main source of income for many countries. With the practical impact of worldwide tourism and the growing number of academic programs and institutions devoted to its education and research, this encyclopedia is the epicenter of this emerging and developing discipline. Editorial BoardManaging Editor: Amy Osmond Associate Editors: David Airey, Nevenka Cavlek, Peter U. C. Dieke, Juergen Gnoth, Maria Gravari-Barbas, Tazim Jamal, Kumi Kato, Francisco Madrid Flores, Yoel Mansfeld, Scott M. Meis, Regina Schlüter, Noel Scott, Honggang XuResource Editor: Beka JakeliAssistant Editors: S. Vida Muse, Peter Reim, Shun YeCartographers: Kisandul Kumarasinghe, Ashan Manamperi, Himanshi Withanage
Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning
by Norbert M. SeelOver the past century, educational psychologists and researchers have posited many theories to explain how individuals learn, i.e. how they acquire, organize and deploy knowledge and skills. The 20th century can be considered the century of psychology on learning and related fields of interest (such as motivation, cognition, metacognition etc.) and it is fascinating to see the various mainstreams of learning, remembered and forgotten over the 20th century and note that basic assumptions of early theories survived several paradigm shifts of psychology and epistemology. Beyond folk psychology and its naïve theories of learning, psychological learning theories can be grouped into some basic categories, such as behaviorist learning theories, connectionist learning theories, cognitive learning theories, constructivist learning theories, and social learning theories. Learning theories are not limited to psychology and related fields of interest but rather we can find the topic of learning in various disciplines, such as philosophy and epistemology, education, information science, biology, and - as a result of the emergence of computer technologies - especially also in the field of computer sciences and artificial intelligence. As a consequence, machine learning struck a chord in the 1980s and became an important field of the learning sciences in general. As the learning sciences became more specialized and complex, the various fields of interest were widely spread and separated from each other; as a consequence, even presently, there is no comprehensive overview of the sciences of learning or the central theoretical concepts and vocabulary on which researchers rely. The Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning provides an up-to-date, broad and authoritative coverage of the specific terms mostly used in the sciences of learning and its related fields, including relevant areas of instruction, pedagogy, cognitive sciences, and especially machine learning and knowledge engineering. This modern compendium will be an indispensable source of information for scientists, educators, engineers, and technical staff active in all fields of learning. More specifically, the Encyclopedia provides fast access to the most relevant theoretical terms provides up-to-date, broad and authoritative coverage of the most important theories within the various fields of the learning sciences and adjacent sciences and communication technologies; supplies clear and precise explanations of the theoretical terms, cross-references to related entries and up-to-date references to important research and publications. The Encyclopedia also contains biographical entries of individuals who have substantially contributed to the sciences of learning; the entries are written by a distinguished panel of researchers in the various fields of the learning sciences.
Encyclopedic Atlas of Terrestrial Impact Craters
by Enrico Flamini Mario Di Martino Alessandro ColettaThis comprehensive atlas explains the genesis and evolution of impact known craters on Earth, presenting a wealth of radar images from the Italian COSMO-SkyMed satellites that were acquired at the same frequency, spatial resolution, operating mode, and illumination, allowing excellent comparison of different impact structures. It also discusses in detail the processes that have hidden or erased terrestrial impact craters, and clearly explains the basic principles of remote sensing and the COSMO-SkyMed system and radar instruments. Also, the optical satellite remote sensing technique used to produce the optical images is described. The main section documents each of the exposed craters officially recognized as caused by meteoritic impact, presenting a table with the COSMO-SkyMed radar image and, where available, a Sentinel optical image and a photograph taken in situ. A short accompanying text reports the location, context, geographical coordinates, and other ancillary information to support future researches.
Encyclopedic Dictionary of Polymers
by Jan W. GoochThis reference, in its second edition, contains more than 7,500 polymeric material terms, including the names of chemicals, processes, formulae, and analytical methods that are used frequently in the polymer and engineering fields. This lavishly illustrated title includes an appendix of biochemical and microbiological terms, thus offering previously unpublished material making the book distinct from all competitors. Supplementary material such as audio files with pronuncitions of each term may be found on the Springer website Interactive equations posted on the author's website bring important relationships to life. Each succinct entry offers a broadly accessible definition as well as cross-references to related terms.
Encyclopedic Handbook of Integrated Optics (Optical Science and Engineering)
by KENICHI IGA and YASUO KOKUBUNAs optical technologies move closer to the core of modern computer architecture, there arise many challenges in building optical capabilities from the network to the motherboard. Rapid advances in integrated optics technologies are making this a reality. However, no comprehensive, up-to-date reference is available to the technologies and principles underlying the field. The Encyclopedic Handbook of Integrated Optics fills this void, collecting the work of 53 leading experts into a compilation of the most important concepts, phenomena, technologies, and terms covering all related fields.This unique book consists of two types of entries: the first is a detailed, full-length description; the other, a concise overview of the topic. Additionally, the coverage can be divided into four broad areas:A survey of the basics of integrated optics, exploring theory, practical concerns, and the fundamentals behind optical devicesFocused discussion on devices and components such as arrayed waveguide grating, various types of lasers, optical amplifiers, and optoelectronic devicesIn-depth examination of subsystems including MEMS, optical pickup, and planar lightwave circuitsFinally, systems considerations such as multiplexing, demultiplexing, 3R circuits, transmission, and receptionOffering a broad and complete treatment of the field, the Encyclopedic Handbook of Integrated Optics is the complete guide to the fundamentals, principles, and applications of integrated optics technology.
End of the Road: A Novel
by LS HawkerGreat minds can change the worldor leave it in ruins . . .When tech prodigy Jade Veverka creates a program to communicate with her autistic sister, she’s tapped by a startup to explore the potential applications of her technology. But Jade quickly begins to notice some strange things about the small Kansas town just beyond the company’s campus—why are there no children anywhere to be seen, and for that matter, anyone over the age of forty? Why do all of the people living here act uncomfortable and jumpy?On the way home one night, Jade and her co-worker are run off the road, and their lab and living spaces are suddenly overrun with armed guards, purportedly for their safety. Confined to the compound and questioning what her employers might be hiding from her, Jade fears she’s losing control not only of her invention, but of her very life. It soon becomes clear that the threat reaches far beyond Jade and her family, and the real danger is much closer than she’d ever imagined.
End-to-End Adaptive Congestion Control in TCP/IP Networks (Automation and Control Engineering #46)
by Christos N. Houmkozlis George A. RovithakisEstablishing adaptive control as an alternative framework to design and analyze Internet congestion controllers, End-to-End Adaptive Congestion Control in TCP/IP Networks employs a rigorously mathematical approach coupled with a lucid writing style to provide extensive background and introductory material on dynamic systems stability and neural network approximation; alongside future internet requests for congestion control architectures. Designed to operate under extreme heterogeneous, dynamic, and time-varying network conditions, the developed controllers must also handle network modeling structural uncertainties and uncontrolled traffic flows acting as external perturbations. The book also presents a parallel examination of specific adaptive congestion control, NNRC, using adaptive control and approximation theory, as well as extensions toward cooperation of NNRC with application QoS control. Features: Uses adaptive control techniques for congestion control in packet switching networks Employs a rigorously mathematical approach with lucid writing style Presents simulation experiments illustrating significant operational aspects of the method; including scalability, dynamic behavior, wireless networks, and fairness Applies to networked applications in the music industry, computers, image trading, and virtual groups by techniques such as peer-to-peer, file sharing, and internet telephony Contains working examples to highlight and clarify key attributes of the congestion control algorithms presented Drawing on the recent research efforts of the authors, the book offers numerous tables and figures to increase clarity and summarize the algorithms that implement various NNRC building blocks. Extensive simulations and comparison tests analyze its behavior and measure its performance through monitoring vital network quality metrics. Divided into three parts, the book offers a review of computer networks and congestion control, presents an adaptive congestion control framework as an alternative to optimization methods, and provides appendices related to dynamic systems through universal neural network approximators.
End-to-End Quality of Service: Engineering in Next Generation Heterogenous Networks
by Abdelhamid MelloukA modern communication network can be described as a large, complex, distributed system composed by higher interoperating, smaller sub-systems. Today, the proliferation and convergence of different types of wired, wireless, and mobile networks are crucial for the success of the next generation networking. However, these networks can hardly meet the requirements of future integrated-service networks, and are expected to carry multimedia traffic with various Quality of Experience (QoE) and Quality of Service (QoS) requirements. Providing all relevant QoS/QoE issues in these heterogeneous networks is then an important challenge for telecommunication operators, manufacturers, and companies. The impressive emergence and the important demand of the rising generation of real-time Multi-service (such as Data, Voice VoD, Video-Conference, etc.) over communication heterogeneous networks, require scalability while considering a continuous QoS. This book presents and explains all the techniques in new generation networks which integrate efficient global control mechanisms in two directions: (1) maintain QoS requirements in order to maximize network resources utilization, and minimize operational costs on all the types of wired-wireless-mobile networks used to transport traffic, and (2) mix the QoS associated with home, access, and core networks in order to provide Quality of Service/Quality of Experience expected by users of new services.