Reliability

The smart grid will transform the way power is delivered, consumed and accounted for. Adding intelligence through the newly networked grid will increase reliability and power quality, improve responsiveness, increase efficiency and provide a platform for new applications. This one-stop reference covers the state-of-the-art theory, key strategies, protocols, applications, deployment aspects and experimental studies of communication and networking technologies for the smart grid. Through the book's twenty chapters, a team of expert authors cover topics ranging from architectures and models through to integration of plug-in hybrid vehicles and security. Essential information is provided for researchers to make progress in the field and to allow power systems engineers to optimize communication systems for the smart grid.

Behavioral scientists – including those in psychology, infant and child development, education, animal behavior, marketing and usability studies – use many methods to measure behavior. Systematic observation is used to study relatively natural, spontaneous behavior as it unfolds sequentially in time. This book emphasizes digital means to record and code such behavior; while observational methods do not require them, they work better with them. Key topics include devising coding schemes, training observers and assessing reliability, as well as recording, representing and analyzing observational data. In clear and straightforward language, this book provides a thorough grounding in observational methods along with considerable practical advice. It describes standard conventions for sequential data and details how to perform sequential analysis with a computer program developed by the authors. The book is rich with examples of coding schemes and different approaches to sequential analysis

Behavioral scientists – including those in psychology, infant and child development, education, animal behavior, marketing and usability studies – use many methods to measure behavior. Systematic observation is used to study relatively natural, spontaneous behavior as it unfolds sequentially in time. This book emphasizes digital means to record and code such behavior; while observational methods do not require them, they work better with them. Key topics include devising coding schemes, training observers and assessing reliability, as well as recording, representing and analyzing observational data. In clear and straightforward language, this book provides a thorough grounding in observational methods along with considerable practical advice. It describes standard conventions for sequential data and details how to perform sequential analysis with a computer program developed by the authors. The book is rich with examples of coding schemes and different approaches to sequential analysis

Among ancient writers Aristotle offers the most profound analysis of the ancient Greek household and its relationship to the state. The household was not the family in the modern sense of the term, but a much more powerful entity with significant economic, political, social, and educational resources. The success of the polis in all its forms lay in the reliability of households to provide it with the kinds of citizens it needed to ensure its functioning. In turn, the state offered the members of its households a unique opportunity for humans to flourish. This 2006 book explains how Aristotle thought household and state interacted within the polis.

The success of the Apgar score demonstrates the astounding power of an appropriate clinical instrument. This down-to-earth book provides practical advice, underpinned by theoretical principles, on developing and evaluating measurement instruments in all fields of medicine. It equips you to choose the most appropriate instrument for specific purposes. The book covers measurement theories, methods and criteria for evaluating and selecting instruments. It provides methods to assess measurement properties, such as reliability, validity and responsiveness, and interpret the results. Worked examples and end-of-chapter assignments use real data and well-known instruments to build your skills at implementation and interpretation through hands-on analysis of real-life cases. All data and solutions are available online. This is a perfect course book for students and a perfect companion for professionals/researchers in the medical and health sciences who care about the quality and meaning of the

The success of the Apgar score demonstrates the astounding power of an appropriate clinical instrument. This down-to-earth book provides practical advice, underpinned by theoretical principles, on developing and evaluating measurement instruments in all fields of medicine. It equips you to choose the most appropriate instrument for specific purposes. The book covers measurement theories, methods and criteria for evaluating and selecting instruments. It provides methods to assess measurement properties, such as reliability, validity and responsiveness, and interpret the results. Worked examples and end-of-chapter assignments use real data and well-known instruments to build your skills at implementation and interpretation through hands-on analysis of real-life cases. All data and solutions are available online. This is a perfect course book for students and a perfect companion for professionals/researchers in the medical and health sciences who care about the quality and meaning of the

This work was originally issued as a two-volume set, published in 1987 and 1988. It constitutes a definitive presentation of the system of classifying moral judgment built up by Lawrence Kolberg and his associates over a period of twenty years. Researchers in human development and education around the world, many of whom have worked with interim versions of the system - indeed, all those seriously interested in understanding the development of moral judgment - will find it a useful and accessible resource. Volume 1 reviews Kohlberg's stage theory, and the large body of research on the significance and utility of his moral stages. Issues of reliability and validity are addressed. The volume ends with detailed instructions for using the reference sections, which are presented in volume 2. Volume 2 includes the scoring systems for three alternate, functionally equivalent forms of Kohlberg's moral judgment interview.

With ever-increasing demands on capacity, quality of service, speed, and reliability, current Internet systems are under strain and under review. Combining contributions from experts in the field, this book captures the most recent and innovative designs, architectures, protocols, and mechanisms that will enable researchers to successfully build the next-generation Internet. A broad perspective is provided, with topics including innovations at the physical/transmission layer in wired and wireless media, as well as the support for new switching and routing paradigms at the device and sub-system layer. The proposed alternatives to TCP and UDP at the data transport layer for emerging environments are also covered, as are the novel models and theoretical foundations proposed for understanding network complexity. Finally, new approaches for pricing and network economics are discussed, making this ideal for students, researchers, and practitioners who need to know about designing, constructi

The gospels were written to preach Christ and not to satisfy the curiosities of the modern scholar, but they do contain important historical material of the first importance. That is Dr Knox's contention, and this book, which was originally published in 1957, seeks to take Gospel criticism a stage beyond Form-criticism. By acute detective work Dr Knox traces the use of primitive tracts incorporated by the Synoptic evangelists, delicately disentangling the virtually intact. The study of the Lucan material in this second volume carries much of the argument of the entire work, which attempts to show that the Synoptic gospels are compilations of sources first written down some thirty years closer to the time of the events than is commonly supposed. If this is established, the historical reliability of the account is correspondingly increased.

Advances in scientific computing have made modelling and simulation an important part of the decision-making process in engineering, science, and public policy. This book provides a comprehensive and systematic development of the basic concepts, principles, and procedures for verification and validation of models and simulations. The emphasis is placed on models that are described by partial differential and integral equations and the simulations that result from their numerical solution. The methods described can be applied to a wide range of technical fields, from the physical sciences, engineering and technology and industry, through to environmental regulations and safety, product and plant safety, financial investing, and governmental regulations. This book will be genuinely welcomed by researchers, practitioners, and decision makers in a broad range of fields, who seek to improve the credibility and reliability of simulation results. It will also be appropriate either for univers

As DNA forensic profiling and databasing become established as key technologies in the toolbox of the forensic sciences, their expanding use raises important issues that promise to touch everyone's lives. In an authoritative global investigation of a diverse range of countries, including those at the forefront of these technologies' development and use, this book identifies and provides critical reflection upon the many issues of privacy; distributive justice; DNA information system ownership; biosurveillance; function creep; the reliability of collection, storage and analysis of DNA profiles; the possibility of transferring medical DNA information to forensics databases; and democratic involvement and transparency in governance, an emergent key theme. This book is timely and significant in providing the essential background and discussion of the ethical, legal and societal dimensions for academics, practitioners, public interest and criminal justice organisations, and students of the

Herman Alexander Diels (1848–1922) published Doxographi Graeci in 1879. In many ways this work established the critical discipline of doxography - the editing, cataloguing, and analysing of extracts of extant classical texts that contain references to the ideas and arguments of lost authors and schools. In Doxographi Graeci Diels analyses passages from the extant work of authors such as Plutarch, Arius Didymus, Diogenes Laërtius, Ps-Plutarch, Hippolytus, Ps-Galen, Stobaeus, Theodoret and Eusebius and uses them to uncover information about the Presocratic philosophers and schools whose written treatises are no longer extant. Diels' method of filiation of extant sources, based on the critical methods of his teacher, Herman Karl Usener (1834–1905), allowed critical judgements to be made regarding the reliability and usefulness of extant authors and their references. Diels' magisterial work represented a profound breakthrough in the study of the Presocratic philosophers. It is a monument o

This work was originally issued as a two-volume set, published in 1987 and 1988. It constitutes the definitive presentation of the system of classifying moral judgment built up by Lawrence Kohlberg and his associates over a period of twenty years. Researchers in human development and education around the world, many of whom have worked with interim versions of the system - indeed, all those seriously interested in understanding the development of moral judgment - will find it a useful and accessible resource. Volume 1 reviews Kohlberg's stage theory, and the large body of research on the significance and utility of his moral stages. Issues of reliability and validity are addressed. The volume ends with detailed instructions for using the reference sections, which are presented in volume 2.

This collection of papers presents a series of in-depth examinations of a variety of advanced topics related to Boolean functions and expressions. The chapters are written by some of the most prominent experts in their respective fields and cover topics ranging from algebra and propositional logic to learning theory, cryptography, computational complexity, electrical engineering, and reliability theory. Beyond the diversity of the questions raised and investigated in different chapters, a remarkable feature of the collection is the common thread created by the fundamental language, concepts, models, and tools provided by Boolean theory. Many readers will be surprised to discover the countless links between seemingly remote topics discussed in various chapters of the book. This text will help them draw on such connections to further their understanding of their own scientific discipline and to explore new avenues for research.

The archaeologist and New Testament scholar William Mitchell Ramsay (1851–1939) first published The Historical Geography of Asia Minor in 1890, pioneering the study of classical topography. The book, based on his extensive fieldwork, is split into two parts. Part 1 examines the trade routes and road systems - both Roman and Byzantine - of Asia Minor. It discusses Hellenism and Orientalism and assesses the reliability of ancient topographical accounts of the area, including the Peutinger Table, the itineraries and a number of Ptolemy's geographical comments. Part 2 examines the political divisions of Asia Minor into cities and bishoprics. A number of maps and tables are included. Ramsay's authoritative survey opened up the historical study of the geography and topography of Asia Minor in many disciplines. His work has been used widely by archaeologists, classicists, and New Testament scholars. Still not fully superseded, it remains a key text in historical geography.

Developing advanced materials and processes can enable the creation of microsystems (MEMS) with enhanced functionality, and improved performance and reliability. These considerations are of growing importance as MEMS make the difficult transition from research laboratories to full-fledged commercialization. Equally, MEMS designers continue to introduce new device concepts and system architectures which motivate fundamental studies of materials behavior at micrometer- and nanometer length scales. Together, this collection of papers serves as a useful resource for the growing community of scientists and engineers working at the intersection of materials science and microdevices. Firstly it focuses on developing advanced materials specific to sensing and actuation. Section Two presents fundamental studies of the mechanical behavior of microscale and nanoscale structures. Section Three presents new materials and processes that can potentially influence the development of many new and diffe

In this 2004 book, Noah Lemos presents a strong defense of the common sense tradition, the view that we may take as data for philosophical inquiry many of the things we ordinarily think we know. He discusses the main features of that tradition as expounded by Thomas Reid, G. E. Moore and Roderick Chisholm. For a long time common sense philosophers have been subject to two main objections: that they fail to give any non-circular argument for the reliability of memory and perception; and that they pick out instances of knowledge without knowing a criterion for knowledge. Lemos defends the appeal to what we ordinarily think we know in both epistemology and ethics and thus rejects the charge that common sense is dogmatic, unphilosophical or question-begging. Written in a clear and engaging style, this book will appeal to students and philosophers in epistemology and ethics.

Longhurst examines the proposition, central to fisheries science, that a fishery creates its own natural resource by the compensatory growth it induces in the fish, and that this is sustainable. His novel analysis of the reproductive ecology of bony fish of cooler seas offers some support for this, but a review of fisheries past and present confirms that sustainability is rarely achieved. The relatively open structure and strong variability of marine ecosystems is discussed in relation to the reliability of resources used by the industrial-level fishing that became globalised during the 20th century. This was associated with an extraordinary lack of regulation in most seas, and a widespread avoidance of regulation where it did exist. Sustained fisheries can only be expected where social conditions permit strict regulation and where politicians have no personal interest in outcomes despite current enthusiasm for ecosystem-based approaches or for transferable property rights.

Edith Foster compares Thucydides' narrative explanations and descriptions of the Peloponnesian War in Books One and Two of the History with the arguments about warfare and war materials offered by the Athenian statesman Pericles in those same books. In Thucydides' narrative presentations, she argues, the aggressive deployment of armed force is frequently unproductive or counterproductive, and even the threat to use armed force against others causes consequences that can be impossible for the aggressor to predict or contain. By contrast, Pericles' speeches demonstrate that he shared with many other figures in the History a mistaken confidence in the power, glory, and reliability of warfare and the instruments of force. Foster argues that Pericles does not speak for Thucydides, and that Thucydides should not be associated with Pericles' intransigent imperialism.

Longhurst examines the proposition, central to fisheries science, that a fishery creates its own natural resource by the compensatory growth it induces in the fish, and that this is sustainable. His novel analysis of the reproductive ecology of bony fish of cooler seas offers some support for this, but a review of fisheries past and present confirms that sustainability is rarely achieved. The relatively open structure and strong variability of marine ecosystems is discussed in relation to the reliability of resources used by the industrial-level fishing that became globalised during the 20th century. This was associated with an extraordinary lack of regulation in most seas, and a widespread avoidance of regulation where it did exist. Sustained fisheries can only be expected where social conditions permit strict regulation and where politicians have no personal interest in outcomes despite current enthusiasm for ecosystem-based approaches or for transferable property rights.

This edition collects all the surviving evidence for the fifth-century BCE Athenian sophist Antiphon and presents it together with a translation and a full commentary, which assesses its reliability and significance. Although Antiphon is not as familiar a figure as sophists such as Protagoras and Gorgias, substantial fragments have survived from his major works, On Truth and On Concord, including extensive remains preserved on papyrus. In addition, information about his doctrines is preserved by ancient writers ranging in time from Aristotle to Simplicius and beyond. The introduction provides a brief sketch of Antiphon, his works, and his place in the fifth-century BCE sophistic movement, including his important contribution to the contemporary debate over the relation of law (nomos) and nature (physis). It also deals with the controversial question of the identity of Antiphon the sophist in relation to Antiphon of Rhamnus and other men of the same name.

Observations of distant supernovae have provided startling evidence that the expansion of the Universe may be accelerating, rather than decelerating. If this result is verified by future studies, it has profound implications for cosmology. The reliability of this finding and its implications for both the study of supernovae and cosmology are the subject of this exciting volume. Based on a conference at the University of Chicago, this timely volume, originally published in 2000, presents articles by leading experts on the theory of Type Ia supernovae, observational astronomy, and cosmology. It examines the observational data, the nature of the likely progenitor binary systems, the outburst mechanisms of Type Ia supernovae events, and the cosmological implications. This is a unique and wide-ranging review of one of the most dramatic and controversial results in astronomy in recent decades. It makes fascinating reading for all researchers and graduate students.

Samuel Prideaux Tregelles (1813–1875) was a Cornish-born Biblical scholar who travelled to major libraries all over Europe to study ancient manuscripts with the aim of publishing a more reliable Greek New Testament than had been available to Luther, Tyndale and their successors. The 1844 edition of the Book of Revelation reissued here was his first major publication, and announced his larger project. It contains the Greek text, an English translation, and a meticulous critical apparatus which provides a window into nineteenth-century textual criticism, a burgeoning field in which scholars including Lachmann and Tischendorf were also active. Tregelles gives a detailed history of the printed editions of Revelation and shows how he went beyond the received text, examining more than forty thousand variants to establish the most authoritative version. Tregelles' criteria for evaluating the reliability of manuscripts, described in his Introduction, remain of interest to Biblical scholars tod

Mechanical properties and the reliability of materials greatly depend on the details of their microstructure. However, most engineered materials, which are often polycrystalline and multiphase in nature and have undergone an extensive amount of processing, are extremely complex and inhomogeneous at the local level. The precise relationship between microstructure and physical properties for these types of materials is an issue that becomes even more critical as device dimensions rapidly decrease toward the nanoscale. Recently new experimental tools have emerged that provide information on the microstructure and state of deformation of materials at a fine spatial resolution, ranging from microns down to tens of nanometers. In parallel, developments in computational materials simulation now incorporate discretization into modeling, which is necessary in obtaining a thorough multiscale, theoretical understanding of material properties. This book offers views on defining and measuring stres

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have transitioned from a technology niche to a role of major industrial significance. The worldwide market for MEMS is now approximately $10 billion, and the total value of systems enabled by MEMS is several orders of magnitude higher than this figure. As the market has grown, the material and process sets have broadened and departed from their semiconductor roots. In addition to engineering materials, there is now great interest in integrating multifunctional nanomaterials, smart materials and biomaterials within MEMS/NEMS to enhance functionality, performance and reliability. The opportunities created by this integration have generated a vibrant research community working on new materials and processes. This book reflects the breadth of topics currently under investigation in the field. Novel materials and accompanying processes are discussed, as are more conventional materials and processes. Consistent themes are the need for accurate material

The various works in which the Hungarians of the Middle Ages recorded their own origins and early doings are of great value not only for the history of Hungary and the Magyar people, but also for the whole of south-eastern Europe. But before they can be safely used as sources they require much editing and interpretation. Studies by Hungarian and German scholars of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are now of course out-dated. Mr Macartney spent some years going through the documents and all the critical literature, and here presents the fruits of his work in a short form containing all that needs to be known for safe and profitable use of the texts. The present book has as its first part a long introductory essay on the development of the Hungarian historical tradition; its second part is an analytical guide to the separate documents, carrying summarised descriptions of MSS, editions, date, contents, reliability, relations to other texts, and so on, and including references to Mr

Although the diary novel is often regarded as a twentieth-century genre due to its particular popularity in this century, the form actually has a long history that originates in the eighteenth century. The Diary Novel is the first book to trace that history, concentrating on French, German and English works with some attention given to Russian and Scandinavian traditions as well. Beginning with a discussion of the definition of the diary novel and some observations about genre study and criticism, Lorna Martens proceeds with interpretations of major diary novels by writers such as Defoe, Gide, Rilke, Frisch, Butor and Lessing. The Diary Novel includes sections on the influence of Richardson and the letter journal novel, the publication of the journaux intimes, psychological fiction, reliability of the narrator and the contemporary diary novel.

The editors extract from the Palatine Anthology such epigrams as can be assumed to have been written between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the compilation by Meleager of Gadara, about 100 BC, of the anthology which he called The Garland. The first volume arranges the epigrams by their authors, adds from other sources further epigrams by these authors and prints with a full critical apparatus about 850 epigrams in all. The second volume contains a commentary on the text and Greek and English indexes. The assignment of many of the epigrams to the Hellenistic period depends on the assumption that they were included in Meleager's Garland, and the introduction therefore discusses the date, arrangement, and contents of that anthology. It also discusses the reliability of the ascriptions attached to the epigrams and the authorities for the text.

Wireless networks are under constant pressure to provide ever higher data rates to increasing numbers of users with greater reliability. Space-time processing technology, which uses multiple antennas and sophisticated signal processing techniques, is a powerful new tool for improving system performance. The technology already features in the UMTS and CDMA2000 mobile standards. This book is an accessible introduction to the theory of space-time wireless communications. The authors discuss the basics of space-time propagation, space-time channels, channel capacity, spatial diversity and space-time coding. They highlight important trade-offs in the design of practical systems and cover advanced topics such as space-time OFDM and spread-spectrum modulation, co-channel interference cancellation, and multiuser MIMO. The book is an ideal introduction to this rapidly growing field for graduate students taking courses on wireless communications and for practitioners in the wireless industry. Ho

What makes some computers slow? Why do some digital systems operate reliably for years while others fail mysteriously every few hours? How can some systems dissipate kilowatts while others operate off batteries? These questions of speed, reliability, and power are all determined by the system-level electrical design of a digital system. Digital Systems Engineering presents a comprehensive treatment of these topics. It combines a rigorous development of the fundamental principles in each area with real-world examples of circuits and methods. The book not only serves as an undergraduate textbook, filling the gap between circuit design and logic design, but can also help practising digital designers keep pace with the speed and power of modern integrated circuits. The techniques described in this book, once used only in supercomputers, are essential to the correct and efficient operation of any type of digital system.

This book is part of a popular series on the materials science of MEMS devices. In the years since, many sophisticated devices have emerged and many aspects of MEMS materials behaviors have been characterized. However, there remain many basic questions about the relationship between process, properties and function for MEMS materials. Experimental methods have been developed, but there remains a lack of standardization that would allow comparison between laboratories and commercial vendors or the creation of materials specifications that would enable greater commercialization of MEMS. The book addresses many of these issues including: RF-MEMS; optical MEMS; MEMS metrology, tribology, materials characterization and mechanical behavior; MEMS surfaces, MEMS reliability, packaging and life assessment; MEMS modeling and software tools for materials integration; biocompatibility of MEMS materials and devices; new materials and fabrication methodologies for MEMS; microfluidics and nanofluidic

To what degree should we rely on our own resources and methods to form opinions about important matters? To what degree should we depend on various authorities, such as a recognized expert or a social tradition? In this provocative account of intellectual trust and authority, Richard Foley argues that it can be reasonable to have intellectual trust in oneself even though it is not possible to provide a defence of the reliability of one's faculties, methods and opinions that does not beg the question. Moreover, he shows how this account of intellectual self-trust can be used to understand the degree to which it is reasonable to rely on alternative authorities. This book will be of interest to advanced students and professionals working in the fields of philosophy and the social sciences as well as anyone looking for a unified account of the issues at the centre of intellectual trust.

Ada is the only ISO-standard, object-oriented, concurrent, real-time programming language. It is intended for use in large, long-lived applications where reliability and efficiency are essential, particularly real-time and embedded systems. In this book, Alan Burns and Andy Wellings give a thorough, self-contained account of how the Ada tasking model can be used to construct a wide range of concurrent and real-time systems. This is the only book that focuses on an in-depth discussion of the Ada tasking model. Following on from the authors' earlier title Concurrency in Ada, this book brings the discussion up to date to include the new Ada 2005 language and the recent advances in real-time programming techniques. It will be of value to software professionals and advanced students of programming alike: indeed every Ada programmer will find it essential reading and a primary reference work that will sit alongside the language reference manual.

The Advanced Metallization Conference 2006 - held in Tokyo and San Diego, California - highlights both current state-of-the-art and ongoing challenges associated with multilevel interconnects. Technical leaders from around the world gathered to discuss developments in the integration of low-dielectric constant materials with copper-based metallization, and advances in the means by which process- or stress-induced damage can be mitigated and reliability of the interconnect system improved. Contributions to the volume focus on design, development and modeling of advanced on-chip and multichip interconnect architectures and real-world implementation of optimized designs, materials and processes for production of leading-edge microelectronic devices. A keynote address by H.-S. Philip Wong, Stanford University, on 'Nanostructured Materials for Interconnects' is featured.

As more advanced materials find their way into daily life, a better understanding of degradation processes is required, allowing us to more accurately predict their lifetime and further increase their performance, reliability. While degradation processes are initiated at molecular (subnanometer) scale, the nanostructure and nanoconfinement of materials alter the degradation processes occurring in materials at micron or larger scales, and eventually trigger new degradation routes. This book studies the effect of nanometer-scale structure and confinement on degradation processes and analyzes the experimental and theoretical approaches used to estimate the lifetime of nanostructured and nanoconfined materials in various environments. Various topics are addressed - from electronic, optical, structural, and magnetic nanomaterials to space, chemical, biological and medical applications. There is also an emphasis on the time dependence associated with artificial treatments involving electrica

Among ancient writers Aristotle offers the most profound analysis of the ancient Greek household and its relationship to the state. The household was not the family in the modern sense of the term, but a much more powerful entity with significant economic, political, social, and educational resources. The success of the polis in all its forms lay in the reliability of households to provide it with the kinds of citizens it needed to ensure its functioning. In turn, the state offered the members of its households a unique opportunity for humans to flourish. This 2006 book explains how Aristotle thought household and state interacted within the polis.

Error-correcting codes constitute one of the key ingredients in achieving the high degree of reliability required in modern data transmission and storage systems. This 2006 book introduces the reader to the theoretical foundations of error-correcting codes, with an emphasis on Reed-Solomon codes and their derivative codes. After reviewing linear codes and finite fields, the author describes Reed-Solomon codes and various decoding algorithms. Cyclic codes are presented, as are MDS codes, graph codes, and codes in the Lee metric. Concatenated, trellis, and convolutional codes are also discussed in detail. Homework exercises introduce additional concepts such as Reed-Muller codes, and burst error correction. The end-of-chapter notes often deal with algorithmic issues, such as the time complexity of computational problems. While mathematical rigor is maintained, the text is designed to be accessible to a broad readership, including students of computer science, electrical engineering, and

When a structure is put under an increasing compressive load, it becomes unstable and buckling occurs. Buckling is a particularly significant concern in designing shell structures such as aircraft, automobiles, ships, or bridges. This book discusses stability analysis and buckling problems and offers practical tools for dealing with uncertainties that exist in real systems. The techniques are based on two complementary theories which are developed in the text. First, the probabilistic theory of stability is presented, with particular emphasis on reliability. Both theoretical and computational issues are discussed. Secondly, the authors present the alternative to probability based on the notion of 'anti-optimization', a theory that is valid when the necessary information for probabilistic analysis is absent, that is, when only scant data are available. Design engineers, researchers, and graduate students in aerospace, mechanical, marine, and civil engineering who are concerned with iss

A theological and historical study of the Gentiles and the Gentile missions in Luke and Acts. Dr Wilson examines Jesus' attitude to Gentiles and concludes that not only did he fail to anticipate a historical Gentile mission, but that his eschatological expectations logically disallowed it. Luke's views are then set against the tradition on the subject from Jesus up to and including Mark, and his theology is compared in detail with that of Paul. Dr Wilson goes on to consider the historical reliability of Acts and finds that most earlier assessments have been marred by oversimplification; Luke, he concludes, does intend to write good history but for a variety of reasons is not always successful. There has in recent years been a growing interest in the theology of Luke and this is a substantial addition to the literature on the subject. It will be of interest to all theologians and New Testament scholars.

Finite Element Plasticity and Metalforming Analysis is concerned with describing a computer based technique for aiding the optimisation of metalforming processes. These methods should enable tool and product designers to reduce development lead times for the introduction of new products, to optimise the process and to help improve the quality and reliability of products. The book is specifically devoted to the finite element method and its use in plasticity problems. It details the theoretical background assuming little previous knowledge, and describes how it can be implemented and used to examine realistic metalforming processes. Forging, rolling and extrusion are typical processes covered, in addition to specific problems such as ductile fracture and how it can be predicted. It is the first text that describes in detail elastic-plastic finite-element theory and how it is used in forming analyses. The technique described can be used to simulate metal flow in 2- and 3-D problems and c