From Purchasing to Supply Management : A Study of the Benefits and Critical Factors of Evolution to Best Practice
For more than 20 years, researchers and practitioners claimed a transition from traditional purchasing to strategic supply management. However, very few companies actually have been able to make this transition happen. Given the fact that most of the actual practices applied by world-class companies are well known, the question remains why so many companies failed along the way. What does it take to overcome the barriers of purchasing evolution - and what are the benefits?
From Nano to Space : Applied Mathematics Inspired by Roland Bulirsch
Graduate students and postgraduates in Mathematics, Engineering and the Natural Sciences want to understand Applied Mathematics for the solution of everyday problems. Scholars of Roland Bulirsch working at universities, at research institutions and in industry combine research and review papers in this anthology. Their work is summed up under the title "From Nano to Space – Applied Mathematics Inspired by Roland Bulirsch". More than 20 contributions are divided into scales: nano, micro, macro, space and real life. The contributions survey current research and present case studies very interesting and informative for both graduate students and postgraduates. The contributions show how modern Applied Mathematics influences our everyday lives. Several contributions include complex graphics and illustrations, many of them in color.
From Hyperbolic Systems to Kinetic Theory : A Personalized Quest
Equations of state are not always effective in continuum mechanics. Maxwell and Boltzmann created a kinetic theory of gases, using classical mechanics. How could they derive the irreversible Boltzmann equation from a reversible Hamiltonian framework? By using probabilities, which destroy physical reality! Forces at distance are non-physical as we know from Poincaré's theory of relativity. Yet Maxwell and Boltzmann only used trajectories like hyperbolas, reasonable for rarefied gases, but wrong without bound trajectories if the "mean free path between collisions" tends to 0. Tartar relies on his H-measures, a tool created for homogenization, to explain some of the weaknesses, e.g. from quantum mechanics: there are no "particles", so the Boltzmann equation and the second principle, can not apply. He examines modes used by energy, proves which equation governs each mode, and conjectures that the result will not look like the Boltzmann equation, and there will be more modes than those indexed by velocity!
From Gestalt Theory to Image Analysis : A Probabilistic Approach
This book introduces the reader to a recent theory in Computer Vision yielding elementary techniques to analyse digital images. These techniques are inspired from and are a mathematical formalization of the Gestalt theory. Gestalt theory, which had never been formalized is a rigorous realm of vision psychology developped between 1923 and 1975. From the mathematical viewpoint the closest field to it is stochastic geometry, involving basic probability and statistics, in the context of image analysis.
From Geometry to quantum mechanics : In Honor of Hideki Omori
This volume is composed of invited expository articles by well-known mathematicians in differential geometry and mathematical physics that have been arranged in celebration of Hideki Omori's recent retirement from Tokyo University of Science and in honor of his fundamental contributions to these areas.The papers focus on recent trends and future directions in symplectic and Poisson geometry, global analysis, infinite-dimensional Lie group theory, quantizations and noncommutative geometry, as well as applications of partial differential equations and variational methods to geometry.
Free Energy and Self-Interacting Particles
This book examines a system of parabolic-elliptic partial differential eq- tions proposed in mathematical biology, statistical mechanics, and chemical kinetics. In the context of biology, this system of equations describes the chemotactic feature of cellular slime molds and also the capillary formation of blood vessels in angiogenesis. There are several methods to derive this system. One is the biased random walk of the individual, and another is the reinforced random walk of one particle modelled on the cellular automaton. In the context of statistical mechanics or chemical kinetics, this system of equations describes the motion of a mean field of many particles, interacting under the gravitational inner force or the chemical reaction
Free Boundary Problems : Theory and Applications
This book gathersa collection of refereed articles containing original result srepo- ing the recent originalcontributions of the lectures and communications presented at the Free Boundary Problems (FBP2005) Conference that took place at the University of Coimbra, Portugal, from 7 to 12 of June 2005. They deal with the Mathematics of a broad class of models and problems involving nonlinear partial diferentialequationsarising inPhysics, Engineering, Biology and Finance. Among the main topics, the talks considered free boundary problems in biomedicine, in porous media, in thermodynamic modeling.
Fractional-in-time semilinear parabolic equations and applications
This book provides a unified analysis and scheme for the existence and uniqueness of strong and mild solutions to certain fractional kinetic equations. This class of equations is characterized by the presence of a nonlinear time-dependent source, generally of arbitrary growth in the unknown function, a time derivative in the sense of Caputo and the presence of a large class of diffusion operators. The global regularity problem is then treated separately and the analysis is extended to some systems of fractional kinetic equations, including prey-predator models of Volterra–Lotka type and chemical reactions models, all of them possibly containing some fractional kinetics.
Fourier Series in Control Theory
Fourier Series in Control Theory successfully gathers all of the available theory of these "nonharmonic Fourier series" in one place, combining published results with new results, to create a unique source of such material for practicing applied mathematicians, engineers, and other scientific professionals.Starting with an overview of the problems of observability, controllability, and stabilization of linear systems and their interconnections, the text contains complete proofs along with a short, simplified, presentation of some properties of Bessel functions for the convenience of the reader. Only basic knowledge of functional analysis is required.
Forward-backward stochastic differential equations and their applications
This volume is a survey/monograph on the recently developed theory of forward-backward stochastic differential equations (FBSDEs). Basic techniques such as the method of optimal control, the "Four Step Scheme", and the method of continuation are presented in full. Related topics such as backward stochastic PDEs and many applications of FBSDEs are also discussed in detail. The volume is suitable for readers with basic knowledge of stochastic differential equations, and some exposure to the stochastic control theory and PDEs. It can be used for researchers and/or senior graduate students in the areas of probability, control theory, mathematical finance, and other related fields.
Finite Elements III : First-Order and Time-Dependent PDEs
Volume III is divided into 28 chapters. The first eight chapters focus on the symmetric positive systems of first-order PDEs called Friedrichs' systems. This part of the book presents a comprehensive and unified treatment of various stabilization techniques from the existing literature. It discusses applications to advection and advection-diffusion equations and various PDEs written in mixed form such as Darcy and Stokes flows and Maxwell's equations. The remainder of Volume III addresses time-dependent problems: parabolic equations (such as the heat equation), evolution equations without coercivity (Stokes flows, Friedrichs' systems), and nonlinear hyperbolic equations (scalar conservation equations, hyperbolic systems). It offers a fresh perspective on the analysis of well-known time-stepping methods. The last five chapters discuss the approximation of hyperbolic equations with finite elements. Here again a new perspective is proposed.
Finite element methods and their applications
This book serves as a text for one- or two-semester courses for upper-level undergraduates and beginning graduate students and as a professional reference for people who want to solve partial differential equations (PDEs) using finite element methods. The author has attempted to introduce every concept in the simplest possible setting and maintain a level of treatment that is as rigorous as possible without being unnecessarily abstract. Quite a lot of attention is given to discontinuous finite elements, characteristic finite elements, and to the applications in fluid and solid mechanics including applications to porous media flow, and applications to semiconductor modeling. An extensive set of exercises and references in each chapter are provided.
Finite Difference Computing with PDEs : A Modern Software Approach
This easy-to-read book introduces the basics of solving partial differential equations by means of finite difference methods. Unlike many of the traditional academic works on the topic, this book was written for practitioners. Accordingly, it especially addresses: the construction of finite difference schemes, formulation and implementation of algorithms, verification of implementations, analyses of physical behavior as implied by the numerical solutions, and how to apply the methods and software to solve problems in the fields of physics and biology.
Financial market imperfections and corporate decisions : Lessons from the transition process in Hungary
The book presents the results of an empirical investigation of the behaviour of Hungarian firms during the transition process focusing in particular on the role of financial market imperfections for corporate capital structure and investment decisions. The results suggest that financial market reforms have succeeded, albeit partially, in hardening firms's budget constraints and improving the efficiency of the credit allocation process. In particular, following the introduction of the banking sector reform and of the new bankruptcy law, budget constraints became more binding for small private firms, while informational costs became less relevant for foreign-owned firms.
Field-Based Coordination for Pervasive Multiagent Systems
Software systems involve autonomous and distributed software components that have to execute and interact in open and dynamic environments, such as in pervasive, autonomous, and mobile applications. The requirements with respect to dynamics, openness, scalability, and decentralization call for new approaches to software design and development, capable of supporting spontaneous configuration, tolerating partial failures, or arranging adaptive reorganization of the whole system.
Field Models in Electricity and Magnetism
Covering the development of field computation in the past forty years, Field Models in Electricity and Magnetism intends to be a concise, comprehensive and up-to-date introduction to field models in electricity and magnetism, ranging from basic theory to numerical applications. The approach assumed throughout the whole book is to solve field problems directly from partial differential equations in terms of vector quantities. Theoretical issues are illustrated by practical examples. In particular, a single example is solved by different methods so that, by comparison of results, limitations and advantages of the various methods are made clear.
Female Genital Mutilation
Focuses on Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) in children and adolescents. FGM/C comprises all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or injury to the female genital organs for nonmedical reasons. It is mainly carried out during childhood, before the age of 15.
Failures in concrete structures : Case studies in reinforced and prestressed concrete
This selection of the author’s firsthand experience with incidents with RC and prestressed structures helps readers avoid the same errors—mistakes discovered at the design stage, or that led to failures or partial structure collapse. It focuses on misunderstanding of structures or codes of practice and specifics during construction.
Extremum Problems for Eigenvalues of Elliptic Operators
Problems linking the shape of a domain or the coefficients of an elliptic operator to the sequence of its eigenvalues are among the most fascinating of mathematical analysis. In this book, we focus on extremal problems. For instance, we look for a domain which minimizes or maximizes a given eigenvalue of the Laplace operator with various boundary conditions and various geometric constraints. We also consider the case of functions of eigenvalues. We investigate similar questions for other elliptic operators, such as the Schrödinger operator, non homogeneous membranes, or the bi-Laplacian, and we look at optimal composites and optimal insulation problems in terms of eigenvalues.
Extra-coronal restorations : Concepts and clinical application
A clinical guide to contemporary materials and techniques for the restoration of individual teeth and implants. It fully reflects the important developments in the field over the past 15 years, including in particular the shift away from wholesale use of crowns towards adhesive dentistry and less invasive extra-coronal restorations. The book opens by considering the principles and evidence base relating to the longevity of restorations of teeth and implants. Importantly, it explains how to ensure "a healthy start" and manage future risks. Material choice and aesthetic issues are then discussed, before all aspects of the planning and provision of extra-coronal restorations are examined in depth. The coverage also includes the adaptation of crowns to existing partial dentures. In line with modern dental education, each chapter begins with clinically relevant learning objectives, and helpful clinical tips are highlighted.



















