- Table View
- List View
Improving the Stability of Meshed Power Networks
by Robin PreeceThe work in this thesis proposes the innovative use of modern technologies and mathematical techniques to analyse and control future power systems. It exploits new enabling technologies such as Voltage Source Converter High Voltage Direct Current (VSC-HVDC) lines, both single and multi-terminal, and Wide Area Measurement Systems (WAMS) to reduce the risks of instability associated with greater utilisation of modern power systems. New control systems for these technologies have been analysed, and subsequently designed, using advanced probabilistic analysis techniques to ensure that they are robust to the variable and turbulent conditions expected in the future. The advanced probabilistic techniques used in the thesis for both system analysis and controller design represent one of the first such applications in open literature.
Improving the U.S. Military's Understanding of Unstable Environments Vulnerable to Violent Extremist Groups: Insights from Social Science
by David E. Thaler Gabriella C. Gonzalez Parisa Roshan Ryan Andrew Brown Blake W. MobleyFor over a decade, operations associated with irregular warfare have placed large demands on U. S. ground forces and have led to development of new Army and Joint doctrine. This report helps analysts identify and assess twelve key factors that create and perpetuate environments susceptible to insurgency, terrorism, and other extremist violence and instability to inform military decisions on allocation of analytic and security assistance resources.
Improving the Utility and Translation of Animal Models for Nervous System Disorders
by Institute of Medicine Theresa M. Wizemann Bruce M. Altevogt Board on Health Sciences Policy Diana E. Pankevich Forum on Neuroscience and Nervous System DisordersNervous system diseases and disorders are highly prevalent and substantially contribute to the overall disease burden. Despite significant information provided by the use of animal models in the understanding of the biology of nervous system disorders and the development of therapeutics; limitations have also been identified. Treatment options that are high in efficacy and low in side effects are still lacking for many diseases and, in some cases are nonexistent. A particular problem in drug development is the high rate of attrition in Phase II and III clinical trials. Why do many therapeutics show promise in preclinical animal models but then fail to elicit predicted effects when tested in humans? On March 28 and 29, 2012, the Institute of Medicine Forum on Neuroscience and Nervous System Disorders convened the workshop "Improving Translation of Animal Models for Nervous System Disorders" to discuss potential opportunities for maximizing the translation of new therapies from animal models to clinical practice. The primary focus of the workshop was to examine mechanisms for increasing the efficiency of translational neuroscience research through discussions about how and when to use animal models most effectively and then best approaches for the interpretation of the data collected. Specifically, the workshop objectives were to: discuss key issues that contribute to poor translation of animal models in nervous system disorders, examine case studies that highlight successes and failures in the development and application of animal models, consider strategies to increase the scientific rigor of preclinical efficacy testing, explore the benefits and challenges to developing standardized animal and behavioral models. Improving the Utility and Translation of Animal Models for Nervous System Disorders: Workshop Summary also identifies methods to facilitate development of corresponding animal and clinical endpoints, indentifies methods that would maximize bidirectional translation between basic and clinical research and determines the next steps that will be critical for improvement of the development and testing of animal models of disorders of the nervous system.
Impulsgeber Luftfahrt: Industrial Leadership durch luftfahrtspezifische Aufbau- und Ablaufkonzepte
by Martin Hinsch Jens OlthoffDie Luftfahrtindustrie hat innovative betriebswirtschaftliche Konzepte, Tools und Arbeitsmethoden hervorgebracht und weiterentwickelt, die in anderen Branchen der Wirtschaft bis heute wenig bekannt, aber für diese sehr wohl geeignet sind. Die Autoren, alle Insider der Luftfahrt, rücken die betriebswirtschaftliche und operative Innovationskraft der Luftfahrtbranche stärker in den Fokus der Aufmerksamkeit. Sie beschreiben wegweisende Aufbau- und Ablaufkonzepte der Luftfahrt, geben dazu Umsetzungshinweise, benennen kritische Erfolgsfaktoren und unterstützen so den Wissenstransfer in andere Branchen. Dazu gehören Konzepte wie Technische Dokumentation, Materialrückverfolgbarkeit, Prozess- und Projektsteuerung sowie Instandhaltungsmanagement oder praxisorientierte Trainings- und Personalauswahlsysteme. Das Buch wendet sich an Entscheider unterschiedlicher Branchen, in denen komplexe Wertschöpfungsprozesse zum Tragen kommen.
Impulsive Synchronization of Complex Dynamical Networks: Modeling, Control and Simulations
by Yan Wang Ju H. Park Ze Tang Dong Ding Zhicheng JiThis book is mainly focused on the global impulsive synchronization of complex dynamical networks with different types of couplings, such as general state coupling, nonlinear state coupling, time-varying delay coupling, derivative state coupling, proportional delay coupling and distributed delay coupling. Studies on impulsive synchronization of complex dynamical networks have attracted engineers and scientists from various disciplines, such as electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, mathematics, network science, system engineering. Pursuing a holistic approach, the book establishes a fundamental framework for this topic, while emphasizing the importance of network synchronization and the significant influence of impulsive control in the design and optimization of complex networks. The primary audience for the book would be the scholars and graduate students whose research topics including the network science, control theory, applied mathematics, system science and so on.
Impulsive Systems with Delays: Stability and Control
by Xiaodi Li Shiji SongThis book systematically presents the most recent progress in stability and control of impulsive systems with delays. Impulsive systems have recently attracted continued high research interests because they provide a natural framework for mathematical modeling of many real-world processes. It focuses not only on impulsive delayed systems, but also impulsive systems with delayed impulses and impulsive systems with event-triggered mechanism, including their Lyapunov stability, finite-time stability and input-to-state stability synthesis. Special attention is paid to the bilateral effects of the delayed impulses, where comprehensive stability properties are discussed in the framework of time-dependent and state-dependent delays. New original work with event-triggered impulsive control and its applications in multi-agent systems and collective dynamics are also provided. This book will be of use to specialists who are interested in the theory of impulsive differential equations and impulsive control theory, as well as high technology specialists who work in the fields of complex networks and applied mathematics. Also, instructors teaching graduate courses and graduate students will find this book a valuable source of nonlinear system theory.
Impurities in Engineering Materials: ImPatt, Reliability, & Control
by Clyde L. BriantProvides a state-of-the-art account of the various effects of impurities on the properties of engineering alloys. Outlines a wide range of methods for producing cleaner alloys. Traces the technological advances that allow the economical manufacture of purer materials.
Impurities in Semiconductors: Solubility, Migration and Interactions
by Victor I. FistulThis text explores the behavior of impurity atoms in semiconductors, integrating experimental data with their theoretical interpretation. It begins by explaining the basic physics of hydrogen-like impurities, atoms with partially filled electron shells, and amphoteric, isovalent, and gas-forming impurities to explain the properties imparted by these impurities. The author also analyzes the macroscopic and microscopic mechanisms of the solubility and migration of impurities and defects in the crystal lattice. Impurities in Semiconductors brings to light work done in the former Soviet Union and highlights several impurities that have potential, but have not yet found widespread application.
Imputation Methods for Missing Hydrometeorological Data Estimation (Water Science and Technology Library #108)
by Ramesh S.V. TeegavarapuMissing data is a ubiquitous problem that plagues many hydrometeorological datasets. Objective and robust spatial and temporal imputation methods are needed to estimate missing data and create error-free, gap-free, and chronologically continuous data. This book is a comprehensive guide and reference for basic and advanced interpolation and data-driven methods for imputing missing hydrometeorological data. The book provides detailed insights into different imputation methods, such as spatial and temporal interpolation, universal function approximation, and data mining-assisted imputation methods. It also introduces innovative spatial deterministic and stochastic methods focusing on the objective selection of control points and optimal spatial interpolation. The book also extensively covers emerging machine learning techniques that can be used in spatial and temporal interpolation schemes and error and performance measures for assessing interpolation methods and validating imputed data. The book demonstrates practical applications of these methods to real-world hydrometeorological data. It will cater to the needs of a broad spectrum of audiences, from graduate students and researchers in climatology and hydrological and earth sciences to water engineering professionals from governmental agencies and private entities involved in the processing and use of hydrometeorological and climatological data.
Imre Lakatos and the Guises of Reason
by John KadvanyThe Hungarian migr Imre Lakatos (1922-1974) earned a worldwide reputation through the influential philosophy of science debates involving Thomas Kuhn, Paul Feyerabend, and Sir Karl Popper. In Imre Lakatos and the Guises of Reason John Kadvany shows that embedded in Lakatos's English-language work is a remarkable historical philosophy rooted in his Hungarian past. Below the surface of his life as an Anglo-American philosopher of science and mathematics, Lakatos covertly introduced novel transformations of Hegelian and Marxist ideas about historiography, skepticism, criticism, and rationality. Lakatos escaped Hungary following the failed 1956 Revolution. Before then, he had been an influential Communist intellectual and was imprisoned for years by the Stalinist regime. He also wrote a lost doctoral thesis in the philosophy of science and participated in what was criminal behavior in all but a legal sense. Kadvany argues that this intellectual and political past animates Lakatos's English-language philosophy, and that, whether intended or not, Lakatos integrated a penetrating vision of Hegelian ideas with rigorous analysis of mathematical proofs and controversial histories of science. Including new applications of Lakatos's ideas to the histories of mathematical logic and economics and providing lucid exegesis of many of Hegel's basic ideas, Imre Lakatos and the Guises of Reason is an exciting reconstruction of ideas and episodes from the history of philosophy, science, mathematics, and modern political history.
In Athena's Camp
by David Ronfeldt John ArquillaThe information revolution--which is as much an organizational as a technological revolution--is transforming the nature of conflict across the spectrum: from open warfare, to terrorism, crime, and even radical social activism. The era of massed field armies is passing, because the new information and communications systems are increasing the lethality of quite small units that can call in deadly, precise missile fire almost anywhere, anytime. In social conflicts, the Internet and other media are greatly empowering individuals and small groups to influence the behavior of states. Whether in military or social conflicts, all protagonists will soon be developing new doctrines, strategies, and tactics for swarming their opponents--with weapons or words, as circumstances require. Preparing for conflict in such a world will require shifting to new forms of organization, particularly the versatile, hardy, all-channel network. This shift will prove difficult for states and professional militaries that remain bastions of hierarchy, bound to resist institutional redesign. They will make the shift as they realize that information and knowledge are becoming the key elements of power. This implies, among other things, that Mars, the old brute-force god of war, must give way to Athena, the well-armed goddess of wisdom. Accepting Athena as the patroness of this information age represents a first step not only for preparing for future conflicts, but also for preventing them.
In Command of Guardians: Executive Servant Leadership For The Community Of Responders
by Eric J. RussellIn Command of Guardians: Executive Servant Leadership for the Community of Responders, Second Edition spotlights the philosophy of servant leadership and offers a pathway for strengthening first responder organizations. Responders work in high-risk, critical situations under the pressure of time and consequence. Being a responder means one must become an active player in the tragedies of others. Because these situations can change the responder over time, a special type of leader is needed to walk beside them while they navigate the realities of public safety and emergency service operations. This book illustrates how being a servant leader to these guardians allows the community of responders to strengthen their resiliency, foster individual growth, and perform at peak levels. “The book spans a wide breadth and depth, and is written in a way that engages the reader immediately. It is packed with sensitive and wise insights, as well as eminently practical advice for today’s emergency services leaders, as well as those of tomorrow.”- Emily Hough, Editor-In-Chief, Crisis Response Journal"Emotionally moving, research-based, and a compelling case for why any organization can benefit from a servant leadership organizational culture. Eric debunks the myth that servant leadership is "soft" and shows how the hard work of skilled servant-leaders is exactly what is needed in the alpha worlds of public safety and emergency services." - Duane Trammell, President, Trammell McGee-Cooper & Associates, Inc“Eric Russell is a pioneer in applying the principles of servant leadership to the communities of brave police, fire, and emergency services responders. This book is destined to be a classic reference work for the field.”-Don M. Frick, PhD, Authorized Robert Greenleaf biographer and co-author of Seven Pillars of Servant Leadership: The Wisdom of Leading by Serving.“In Command of Guardian speaks great leadership truths to first responder communities throughout the world. This is an important work for those in command of the men and woman who put their lives on the line to save others.” – Christophe Libeau, Lieutenant Colonel, Brigade de Sapeurs-Pompiers de Paris
In Command of Guardians: Executive Servant Leadership for the Community of Responders
by Eric J. RussellFirst responders in the fire, emergency, and police agencies work in high-risk, critical situations, and require effective leadership. Using the approach of Servant Leadership, Dr. Russell explains how executive level/chief officers can lead their teams by helping responders develop and perform as highly as possible and meet the needs of their followers. To bring the power of this philosophical approach towards leadership to life, this book demonstrates how its many aspects come together as a system, in order to strengthen the community of emergency responders. Featuring case studies and questions as meditative exercises, the book offers readers a rich learning experience. Targeted at fire chiefs, fire commissioners, police chiefs, and Emergency Medical Service, and other first responders, this book will have a positive impact on these organizations and the communities they serve. It is also useful for training aspiring executive level leaders/chief officers.
In Deep Water: The Anatomy Of A Disaster, The Fate Of The Gulf, And Ending Our Oil Addiction
by Peter Lehner Robert DeansWhen Deepwater Horizon's well blew out on April 20, 2010, the resulting explosion claimed eleven lives. Over the next two months, an estimated 200 million gallons of crude oil spewed into the Gulf of Mexico, a haven of biodiversity and one of the world's prime fishing grounds. The resultant oil slick covered 2,500 square miles, killing wildlife and menacing the coastline--and many thousands of jobs--from Texas to the Florida Keys, and beyond. How and why did this happen? Who was responsible? And what can be done to make sure such a devastating accident never happens again? In Deep Water answers these questions and more. Drawing on the work of the 400 scientists, activists, and researchers at the Natural Resources Defense Council, In Deep Water documents the environmental and human toll of this tragedy--and underscores that our often wasteful over-reliance on oil comes at an ever-greater cost to us and to the planet we inhabit.
In Defense of Japan: From the Market to the Military in Space Policy
by Saadia M. Pekkanen Paul Kallender-UmezuIn Defense of Japan provides the first complete, up-to-date, English-language account of the history, politics, and policy of Japan's strategic space development. The dual-use nature of space technologies, meaning that they cut across both market and military applications, has had two important consequences for Japan. First, Japan has developed space technologies for the market in its civilian space program that have yet to be commercially competitive. Second, faced with rising geopolitical uncertainties and in the interest of their own economics, the makers of such technologies have been critical players in the shift from the market to the military in Japan's space capabilities and policy. This book shows how the sum total of market-to-military moves across space launch vehicles, satellites and spacecraft, and emerging related technologies, already mark Japan as an advanced military space power.
In Good Company
by Dinah RajakUnder the banner of corporate social responsibility (CSR), corporations have become increasingly important players in international development. These days, CSR's union of economics and ethics is virtually unquestioned as an antidote to harsh neoliberal reforms and the delinquency of the state, but nothing is straightforward about this apparently win-win formula. Chronicling transnational mining corporation Anglo American's pursuit of CSR,In Good Companyexplores what lies behind the movement's marriage of moral imperative and market discipline. From the company's global headquarters to its mineshafts in South Africa, Rajak reveals how CSR enables the corporation to accumulate and exercise power. Interested in CSR's vision of social improvement, Rajak highlights the dependency that the practice generates. This close examination of Africa's largest private sector employer not only brings critical attention to the dangers of corporate dominance, but also provides a lens through which to reflect on the wider global CSR movement.
In Harm’s Way
by Anthony MosawiSHE CAN SEE WHAT'S COMING . . . BUT CAN SHE STOP IT?'Mosawi blasts Sara Eden into the pantheon of contemporary thriller stars' GREGG HURWITZ'An unrelenting thrill ride . . . Compelling and marvellously complex. I loved it' DAVID KLASS________YOU DON'T TRUST HER . . .Robert Waterman, head of GCHQ, is trained to neutralise threats before they become dangerous.BUT YOU NEED HER . . .Sara Eden knows things that not even his most powerful computer systems do. And she can predict events that no one else can see coming.THE FUTURE DEPENDS ON HER . . .When terror strikes the capital, Robert faces a choice. Trust his instincts? Or put the fate of countless lives in the hands of a stranger . . .________'Will have you guessing till the very last page. Explosively exciting' Tom Marcus
In My Blood: Six Generations of Madness & Desire in an American Family
by John SedgwickWhile working on his second novel, John Sedgwick spiraled into a depression so profound that it very nearly resulted in suicide. An author acclaimed for his intimate literary excursions into the rarified, moneyed enclave of Brahmin Boston, he decided to search for the roots of his malaise in the history of his own storied family—one of America's oldest and most notable. Following a bloodline that travels from Theodore Sedgwick, compatriot of George Washington and John Adams, to Edie Sedgwick, Andy Warhol's tragic muse, John Sedgwick's very personal journey of self-discovery became something far greater: a spellbinding study of the evolution of an extraordinary American family.
In Our Own Image: Savior or Destroyer? The History and Future of Artificial Intelligence
by George ZarkadakisA timely and important book that explores the history and future, as well as the societal and ethical implications, of Artificial Intelligence as we approach the cusp of a fourth industrial revolution Zarkadakis explores one of humankind's oldest love-hate relationships—our ties with artificial intelligence, or AI. He traces AI's origins in ancient myth, through literary classics like Frankenstein, to today's sci-fi blockbusters, arguing that a fascination with AI is hardwired into the human psyche. He explains AI's history, technology, and potential; its manifestations in intelligent machines; its connections to neurology and consciousness, as well as—perhaps most tellingly—what AI reveals about us as human beings. In Our Own Image argues that we are on the brink of a fourth industrial revolution—poised to enter the age of Artificial Intelligence as science fiction becomes science fact. Ultimately, Zarkadakis observes, the fate of AI has profound implications for the future of science and humanity itself.
In Pursuit of Nanoethics
by Bert Gordijn Anthony Mark CutterThe volume contributes to the ongoing nanoethics debate in four topical areas. The first part tackles questions of what could be called 'meta-nanoethics'. Its focus lies on basic concepts and the issue of what - if anything - is truly novel and special about the new field of nanoethics or its subject matter. The second part of this volume presents a selection of interesting perspectives on some of the opportunities and challenges of nanotechnology. Part three takes a more in depth look at one of the most pressing current concerns: how to deal with the risks and uncertainties surrounding nanotechnology in a responsible manner. In its fourth and final part the volume touches on issues of public debate and policy.
In Pursuit of Zeta-3: The World's Most Mysterious Unsolved Math Problem
by Paul J. NahinAn engrossing look at the history and importance of a centuries-old but still unanswered math problemFor centuries, mathematicians the world over have tried, and failed, to solve the zeta-3 problem. Math genius Leonhard Euler attempted it in the 1700s and came up short. The straightforward puzzle considers if there exists a simple symbolic formula for the following: 1+(1/2)^3+(1/3)^3+(1/4)^3+. . . . But why is this issue—the sum of the reciprocals of the positive integers cubed—so important? With In Pursuit of Zeta-3, popular math writer Paul Nahin investigates the history and significance of this mathematical conundrum.Drawing on detailed examples, historical anecdotes, and even occasionally poetry, Nahin sheds light on the richness of the nature of zeta-3. He shows its intimate connections to the Riemann hypothesis, another mathematical mystery that has stumped mathematicians for nearly two centuries. He looks at its links with Euler’s achievements and explores the modern research area of Euler sums, where zeta-3 occurs frequently. An exact solution to the zeta-3 question wouldn’t simply satisfy pure mathematical interest: it would have critical ramifications for applications in physics and engineering, such as quantum electrodynamics. Challenge problems with detailed solutions and MATLAB code are included at the end of each of the book’s sections.Detailing the trials and tribulations of mathematicians who have approached one of the field’s great unsolved riddles, In Pursuit of Zeta-3 will tantalize curious math enthusiasts everywhere.
In Pursuit of an African Green Revolution
by Keijiro Otsuka Donald F. LarsonThis book explores recent experiences in the effort to bring about a Green Revolution in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The chapters focus on rice and maize, which are promising and strategic smallholder crops. Significantly, we find that an African Rice Revolution has already begun in many irrigated areas, using Asian-type modern varieties, chemical fertilizer, and improved management practices. Further, we find that the same technological package significantly increases the productivity and profitability of rice farming in rainfed areas as well. We also find evidence that that management training, when done well, can boost productivity on smallholder farms. This suggests that African governments can accelerate the pace of Africa's Rice Revolution by strengthening extension capacity. The story for maize is wholly different, where most farmers use local varieties, apply little chemical fertilizer, and obtain very low yields. However, in the highly populated highlands of Kenya, a number of farmers have adopted high-yielding hybrid maize varieties and chemical fertilizer, as was the case in the Asian Green Revolution, apply manure produced by stall-fed cows, as was the case during the British Agricultural Revolution, and keep improved cows or cross-breeds from European cows and local stock, as was the case of the Indian White Revolution. We conclude that while rice in Africa has benefited from an Asian Green Revolution strategy that emphasizes modern seeds, inputs, and focused knowledge transfers, the success of Africa's Maize Revolution will require a different system approach based on hybrid maize, chemical and organic fertilizers, and stall-fed cross-bred cows.
In Search of Meadowlarks: Birds, Farms, and Food in Harmony with the Land
by John M. MarzluffAn ornithologist&’s personal look at farming practices that finds practical solutions for sustainable food production compatible with bird and wildlife conservation With predictions of a human population of more than nine billion by the middle of this century and eleven billion by 2100, we stand at a crossroads in our agricultural evolution. In this clear and engaging yet scientifically rigorous book, wildlife biologist John M. Marzluff takes a personal approach to sustainable agriculture. He travels to farms and ranches across North and Central America, including a Nebraska corn and soybean farm, California vineyards, cattle ranches in Montana, and small sustainable farms in Costa Rica, to understand the unique challenges and solutions to sustainable food production. Agriculture and wildlife can coexist, he argues, if farmers are justly rewarded for conservation; if future technological advancements increase food production and reduce food waste; and if consumers cut back on meat consumption. Beginning with a look backwards at our evolutionary history and concluding with practical solutions for change that will benefit farmers and ranchers, Marzluff provides an accessible and insightful study for the ecologically minded citizen, farmer, rancher, or conservationist.
In Search of Sir Thomas Browne: The Life and Afterlife of the Seventeenth Century's Most Inquiring Mind
by Hugh Aldersey-WilliamsThe extraordinary life and ideas of one of the greatest--and most neglected--minds in history. Sir Thomas Browne (1605-1682) was an English writer, physician, and philosopher whose work has inspired everyone from Ralph Waldo Emerson to Jorge Luis Borges, Virginia Woolf to Stephen Jay Gould. In an intellectual adventure like Sarah Bakewell's book about Montaigne, How to Live, Hugh Aldersey-Williams sets off not just to tell the story of Browne's life but to champion his skeptical nature and inquiring mind. Mixing botany, etymology, medicine, and literary history, Aldersey-Williams journeys in his hero's footsteps to introduce us to witches, zealots, natural wonders, and fabulous creatures of Browne's time and ours. We meet Browne the master prose stylist, responsible for introducing hundreds of words into English, including electricity, hallucination, and suicide. Aldersey-Williams reveals how Browne's preoccupations--how to disabuse the credulous of their foolish beliefs, what to make of order in nature, how to unite science and religion--are relevant today. In Search of Sir Thomas Browne is more than just a biography--it is a cabinet of wonders and an argument that Browne, standing at the very gates of modern science, remains an inquiring mind for our own time. As Stephen Greenblatt has written, Browne is "unnervingly one of our most adventurous contemporaries."
In Search of the Canary Tree: The Story of a Scientist, a Cypress, and a Changing World
by Lauren E. OakesThe surprisingly hopeful story of one woman's search for resiliency in a warming worldSeveral years ago, ecologist Lauren E. Oakes set out from California for Alaska's old-growth forests to hunt for a dying tree: the yellow-cedar. With climate change as the culprit, the death of this species meant loss for many Alaskans. Oakes and her research team wanted to chronicle how plants and people could cope with their rapidly changing world. Amidst the standing dead, she discovered the resiliency of forgotten forests, flourishing again in the wake of destruction, and a diverse community of people who persevered to create new relationships with the emerging environment. Eloquent, insightful, and deeply heartening, In Search of the Canary Tree is a case for hope in a warming world.