CRC Press
Plastics technology handbook, 4th ed.
New polymers being synthesized, new uses being found, and existing processes and products being modified and improved for ecological and economic reasons, Chanda (emeritus chemical engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore) and Roy (civil engineering, Petra Christian U., Indonesia) have revised their textbook-like reference, dropping what is less timely and adding what is more. They cover characteristics of polymers, fabrication processes, plastics properties and testing, industrial polymers, special uses, recycling, and trends in applications. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Polymer chemistry, 2d ed.
Thoroughly updated according to the most recent literature and advances in instrumentation, and also well-tested by students in the classroom and lab, this text can be applied to introductory as well as advanced courses in chemistry, materials science and chemical engineering down to the molecular level. It starts by introducing chain molecules, then proceeds to step-growth polymerization, chain-growth polymerization, copolymers, microstructure, stereo-regularity, polymer conformations, thermodynamics of polymer solutions, light scattering by polymer solutions, dynamics of dilute polymer solutions, networks, gels, rubber elasticity, linear viscoelasticity, glass transition, and crystalline polymers. Each chapter has a set of exercises and references and a list of further readings, and appendices give background information on series expansions, summation formulae, transformation to spherical coordinates, integrals of Gaussian functions and complex numbers. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Powders and fibers; interfacial science and applications.
This text on the materials science of powders and fibers is presented, as the editors (both of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Chimie des Surfaces et Interfaces, France) note in their preface, for the purposes of presenting modern methods for their surface characterization; describing important applications; and discussing the formation and role of solid-gas, solid-liquid, and solid-polymer interfaces and interphases in relation to the performance of powder and fiber materials. Following an introduction to the thermodynamics of interfacial systems with special reference to powders and fibers, 15 contributions examine such topics as surface properties characterization by inverse gas chromatography applications, application of inverse gas chromatography to the study of rubber reinforcement, probing the molecular details of the surfaces of powders and fibers using infrared spectroscopy, chemical characterization of silica powders and fibers, an application for the characterization of wear or comfort properties of modern fabrics, wettability of fibers and powders and its application to reinforced polymeric materials, principles and applications for scanning probe microscopy of micro- and nanofibers, polymer dynamics at solid-liquid interfaces, rheological properties in reactive resin systems, surface characteristics and the biocompatibility of powdered materials, and computer simulation of silicate glass surfaces. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Practical applications of phosphors.
The Phosphor Handbook was originally published in 1987 in Japanese and in English in 1989. A second English edition was recently published, but it was decided that the field of phosphors had specialized so thoroughly that in addition to the entire Handbook, each of the three sections would be published in a separate volume. This second of those three volumes reprints the 10 chapters on practical applications. Mostly Japanese scientists working for companies consider phosphors for such applications as lamps, cathode-ray tubes, vacuum fluorescent displays and field emission displays, and plasma display; organic fluorescent pigments; solid-state laser materials; and other topics. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Practical guide to injection blow molding.
Intended for industry novices and investors, this guide describes the design of an injection parison mold and core rod for producing plastic containers, the injection blow molding tooling, and the components of both three-station and four-station machines. Basic instructions walk through mold setup and installation, weekly machine maintenance, and material calculation. Numerous mechanical drawings illustrate the layout of die sets, manifolds, nozzles, neck rings, bottom plugs, roller cams, and face bars. Black and white photographs of the machines are provided by their manufacturers. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Predator — prey dynamics; role of olfaction.
The sheer variety of strategies employed by animals to avoid being seen by predators led Conover (wildland resources, Utah State U.) to wonder whether a similar range of tactics have developed for hiding from predators that hunt by smell. He examines the mechanics of olfaction and predator detection of ground-based odor trails or airborne odor plumes. He then discusses the physics of airflow to locate those areas where prey can successfully hide and investigates if they actually do so. Finally, he discusses the implications of his findings for broader ecological understandings. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Probability and statistics for computer scientists.
Designed to serve as a resource for computer scientists and software engineers as well as a student text, this volume focuses on the real world of making decisions in uncertain conditions, selecting stochastic models, computing probabilities and forecasts, and evaluating performance of computer systems and networks. Baron (statistics, U. of Texas at Dallas) provides MATLAB computer codes along with detailed examples and exercises with direct connections to the front lines, moving efficiently from basic probability to discrete random variables and their distributions, continuous distributions, computer simulations and Monte Carlo methods, stochastic processes, queuing systems, basic statistics, statistical inference, and regression. The appendices includes a helpful calculus review and answers to selected exercises. This meets the standards of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) for probability and statistics. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Probability and statistics for environmental science.
With this new textbook, Theodore (chemical engineering, Manhattan College, New York) and Stacey (affiliation not cited) aim to offer just the information relevant to beginning students of probability and statistics, eliminating the need for instructors to pick and choose from more advanced texts. Thirty chapters cover fundamentals and traditional and contemporary applications, addressing topics that include: permutations and combinations, set notation, conditional probability, exponential distribution, fault tree and even tree analysis, hypothesis test for means and proportions, and nonparametric tests, among others. About 12 problems with solutions are offered in each chapter. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Protective relaying; principles and applications, 3d ed.
Updated to take account of technological advances and structural and regulatory changes within the electric power industry, including the development and application of digital processing devices, this work introduces the fundamental concepts and technology of application of protective relays in electric power systems, which are designed to initiate power disconnects in trouble areas while maintaining operation and service fro the rest of the system. Topics covered include phasors and polarity; symmetrical components; relay input sources; basic design principles; system-grounding principles; generator protection and intertie protection for distributed generation; transformer, reactor, and shunt capacitor protection; bus protection; motor protection; line protection; pilot protection; stability, reclosing, load shedding, and trip circuit design; and microprocessor applications and substation automation. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Problem solving in endocrinology and metabolism.
Sans a general introduction, Kennedy (James Cook U., Queensland, Australia) and Basu (City Hospital, Birmingham, UK) present case histories of endocrine and metabolic disorders commonly seen by endocrinologists and general practitioners. Chapters on 46 problems (e.g., disease of the thyroid, adrenals, pituitary, reproductive glands; diabetes) include clinical case questions, background on the condition, recent developments, treatment algorithm charts, conclusions, and further reading. Case histories also treat possibly endocrine-related conditions such as hypertension, and hormone replacement treatment in conditions including Addison's disease, menopause, and thyroid diseases. Distributed by CRC Press. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Randomization tests, 4th ed. (CD-ROM included)
This is the fourth edition of a book providing guidance on the use of statistical randomization tests in experimental work in psychology, education, biology, medicine, and other fields. The new edition now focuses more on the design tests rather than test statistics. Authors Balakrishnan (McMaster U.), Schilling (Rochester Institute of Technology), and Schucany (Southern Methodist U.) provide chapters on randomized experiments, calculating p-values, between-subjects designs, factorial designs, repeated-measures and randomized block designs, multivariate designs, correlation, trend tests, matching and proximity experiments, N-of-1 designs, tests of quantitative laws, tests of direction and magnitude of effect, fundamentals of validity, and general guidelines and software availability. For this edition, the Fortran codes have been moved from the text to the accompanying CD-ROM, which also contains an executable randomization test software package, RT4Win, that implements the main programs discussed in the text. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Reconstructing the tree of life; taxonomy and systematics of species rich taxa.
Because of the global biodiversity crisis, accelerating the documentation, classification, and positioning of species on the evolutionary tree of life is critical. Hodkinson and Parnell (botanists at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland) thus introduce 20 chapters based on this theme of the Systematics Association's biennial conference held in 2003 at their campus. Contributors explain why these challenges remain, e.g, the species' uneven distribution, gaps in the Linnaean naming system, lack of a consensus on what constitutes a species-rich group and even whether a phylogenetic tree is a useful conceptualization. Efforts to meet these challenges include comparing tree branching patterns against a null model, and genetic speciation studies. Color plates feature fauna and flora. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Renewable resources and renewable energy; a global challenge.
Chemists, biotechnologists, environmental engineers, and several members of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board are among those discussing technological and economic prospects of renewable material and energy. Their topics include industrial chemistry with nature-based bioprocesses, producing plastics from agro-food industry waste, hydrogen-based energy technologies for mobile applications, and marketing photovoltaic technologies in developing countries. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Sensory evaluation techniques, 4th ed.
This updated textbook/how-to reference for university students and professionals covers practical and some theoretical aspects of sensory evaluation for scientists working in industry, academia, or government, and those in related marketing and legal positions. An earlier edition is said to have been the first to offer a solution to the problem of similarity/difference testing. Meilgaard (technical advisor, Stroh Brewery Company, Detroit; emeritus, sensory science, Agricultural U. of Denmark) and U.S. coauthors expand treatment of the spectrum method of descriptive sensory analysis, with lexicons, flavor intensity scales, and applied training exercises for descriptive analysis of products, e.g., baby foods, baked goods, and toiletries. Statistical tables conclude the volume. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Signals and systems primer with MATLAB.
This text is intended to serve, at its most expansive, as a two-semester course in the electrical engineering of analog and digital signals and systems. Utilizing examples from chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering, process control, economics, heat transfer, and other areas in order to demonstrate the wide applicability of the material and methods, the text's 14 chapters cover signals and the functional representation; linear continuous- time systems; discrete systems; periodic continuous signals and their spectrums; nonperiodic signals and their Fourier transform; sampling of continuous signals; discrete-time transforms; Laplace transform; the z-transform, difference equations, and discrete systems; analog filter design; finite impulse response filters; infinite impulse response filters; random variables, sequences, and power spectra; and least square system design, Wiener filter, and the least mean square filter. The mathematical results are produced using MATLAB functions and m-files. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Simple extensions with the minimum degree relations of integral domains.
This comprehensive treatment of an under-studied aspect of commutative algebra describes various simple extensions and their properties, in particular properties of simple ring extensions of Noetherian integral domains. Oda (mathematics, Kochi U.) and Yoshida (mathematics, Okayama U. of Science) explore anti-integral, super-primative and ultra-primitive extensions along with other subtopics such as flatness, integrality and "unramifiedness." They focus on simple algebraic extensions and show that simple extensions of a Noetherian domain R can be complicated even if they are bi-rationally equal to R. They also provide many recent results and facts so readers can keep up with related research. This is directed at graduate students and researchers. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Six Sigma software development, 2d ed.
This guide describes the application of Six Sigma concepts to various aspects of the system development process, including the waterfall model, legacy systems, and recent innovations like rapid application development, packaged software implementation, and outsourcing. A case study details the applications of Six Sigma to the system development process, quality assurance, and the Software Engineering Institute Capability Maturity Model. The elimination of defects and improved customer satisfaction are stressed. The second edition adds six chapters on Design for Six Sigma. Distributed by Taylor & Francis. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Smart biosensor technology.
A smart biosensor, as Knopf (mechanical and materials engineering, U. of Ontario, Canada) and Bassi (chemical and biochemical engineering, U. of Ontario) define it, is "a compact analytical device that combines a biological, or biologically derived, sensing element with an electrical, optical, or chemical transducer." Stressing that it is the synergistic functional integration of component parts that makes a biosensor "smart," they present 23 chapters that together provide a multidisciplinary perspective on the field. Opening chapters discuss the intelligent properties of biological macromolecules, optical methods of single molecule detection, nanoscale optical biosensors and biochips for cellular diagnostics, conducting polymer nanowire- based biomolecular field-effect transistor, machine learning and smart biosensor functions, and neuronal network biosensors. Seven chapters then address issues of material design and selection, followed by a section on bioelectronics. The volume concludes with six chapters on applications in detection and monitoring, including optical biosensors in foodborne pathogen detection, multiarray biosensors for toxicity monitoring and bacterial pathogens, approaches to allergy detection using aptasensors, biosensors for virus detection, and detection of influenza. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Spectral techniques in proteomics.
In presenting this "toolbox" of established and experimental spectroscopic techniques in proteomics, Sem (chemistry, Marquette U.) has adopted a broad definition of the field that includes the study of subsets of related proteins such as regulatory cascades connected via protein-protein interactions, metabolic pathways, proteins with related modifications, and any collection of proteins associated with a biological effect. Although commonly used mass spectrometry methods are covered, the preponderance of the material covers "forward-looking" techniques in hopes of spurring innovation. Chapters describe studies of protein-protein interactions using near-infrared fluorescence, nuclear magnetic resonance, and mass spectrometry; protein-ligand interactions using mass spectrometry, surface plasmon resonance, nuclear magnetic resonance, and isotope-coded affinity tag labeling; and structural proteomics using nuclear-magnetic resonance, x-ray crystallography, and electron paramagnetic resonance. The volume concludes with the 20th chapter summarizing the state of the field. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Stochastic partial differential equations.
Although this field is fairly new, that of partial differential equations (PDEs) is surely not. Likely the freshness of the discipline and its association with great interest still in PDEs will result in more work, and this will definitely help undergraduates enter the field. With applications, examples and accessible text this covers such background material as Brownian motions and Martingales, stochastic integrals and stochastic differential equations, then moves to scalar equations of first order, stochastic parabolic equations, stochastic parabolic equations in the whole space, stochastic hyperbolic equations, stochastic evolution equations in Hilbert spaces, asymptotic behaviors of solutions, further applications such as random Schrödinger equations and nonlinear stochastic beam equations and diffusion equations in infinite dimensions. The references chosen will be particularly helpful for those ready to do more in this field. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Stream of variation modeling and analysis for multistage manufacturing processes.
Shi (industrial and operations engineering and mechanical engineering, U. of Michigan) unifies the methodologies of variation reduction in a multistage manufacturing process, including state space modeling, design analysis and synthesis, statistical methods for process monitoring and root-cause diagnosis, quick failure recovery and defect prevention. He covers stream of variation (SoV) modeling by reviewing matrix theory and multivariate statistics, including multivariate distribution and properties and statistical inferences on mean vectors and linear models, describing variation propagation modeling with applications in assembling and machining processes, including model validation and a factor analysis method for variability modeling, diagnosing the source of variation, including diagnosis through variation pattern matching and estimation, using design methods to reduce variability, including optimized fixture layout design and process-oriented tolerance synthesis, and building in quality and reliability. In each section he provides exercises and examples. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
