Computational Mechanics

Advanced computational methods in heat transfer; proceedings.

Forty-five papers from the July 2006 conference present recent developments in calculating natural and forced convection, heat and mass transfer, and thermal conditions, and report the results of experimental investigations to validate numerical calculations. Topics include the Graetz problem with viscous dissipation for non- Newtonian fluids, the use of graphics software in radiative heat transfer simulation, Atwood number effects in buoyancy-driven flows, analysis of a solar chimney plant design for mountainous regions, and water evaporation from nanoporous cylinder surfaces in natural convective airflow. No subject index is provided. The U.S. office of WIT Press is Computational Mechanics. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Brownfield sites; prevention, assessment, rehabilitation and development of brownfield sites; proceedings.

Papers from a July 2006 conference held in Estonia examine some of the problems facing the public and private sectors and the engineering and scientific communities in their efforts to re-use abandoned lands. In addition to scientific and engineering issues, the papers look at related financial, regulatory, and community issues. Papers are in sections on environmental assessment, risk assessment and management, cleanup methodologies, community and public involvement, modeling, and monitoring of contaminated sites. A section of case studies from developed countries is also included. The readership for the book includes professionals in engineering, business, industry, and research. There is no subject index. The US office of WIT Press is Computational Mechanics. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Computers in railways X; proceedings.

This book contains the proceedings of the Tenth International Conference on Computers in Railways (COMPRAIL X), held in Prague in July 2006. The nearly 100 papers in this thousand-page volume will be of interest to railway management consultants, railway engineers, designers of advanced train control systems, and computer mechanics. The papers discuss computer-based techniques for all aspects of railway design and operation, along with those of other advanced passenger, freight, and transit systems. The papers each contain an abstract, and are organized under the following themes: planning, safety, passenger interface systems, decision support systems, computer techniques, converting metros to driverless operation, advanced train control, train location, dynamic train regulation, timetable planning, operations quality, communications, energy management, power supply, dynamics and wheel/rail interface, freight, and condition monitoring. Indexed by author, but not by subject. The US office of WIT Press is Computational Mechanics. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Data mining 7; data, text and web mining and their business applications; proceedings.

Contributors from 19 countries reveal the latest research results and practical development experiences in the field in these proceedings of a July 2006 conference. About 40 peer-reviewed papers cover data preparation, clustering technologies, categorization methods, MS SQL Server data mining, text mining, web mining, customer relationship management, strategies and methodologies, and applications in science and engineering, business and industry, government, and information systems. Among the specific topics covered are corporate bankruptcy prediction using data mining techniques, local nulls in summarized mobile and distributed databases, and cluster analysis of 3D seismic data for oil and gas exploration. Zanasi is affiliated with a text mining firm in Italy. The US office of WIT Press is Computational Mechanics. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Environmental toxicology; proceedings.

Kungolos (U. of Thessaly, Greece), Brebbia (Wessex Institute of Technology, UK), Samaras (TEI of West Macedonia, Greece), and Popov (Wessex Institute of Technology) present 35 papers from the First International Conference on Environmental Toxicology, held in Greece in September of 2006. Penned by an interdisciplinary group of scientists that included biologists, microbiologists, chemists, engineers, environmentalists, and ecologists, the papers are presented in sections covering risk assessment, integrated approaches in risk assessment, effluent toxicity, pharmaceuticals in the environment, genotoxicity, bioaccumulation of chemicals, interactive effects of chemicals, monitoring and remediation of hazardous waste environmental effects, biodegradation and bioremediation, and biotests. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

The internet society II; advances in education, commerce & governance; proceedings.

Focusing on the cultural impact of the internet, researchers gathered at the June 2006 conference to explore the identity of digital actors within virtual environments, the intellectual origin of digital materials, and the accuracy of digital information. The 50 papers are organized into sections on new learning, psychology, e-culture, e-governance, e- commerce, and data and information privacy. Topics include internet addiction, the information literacy of primary school students in rural Taiwan, a training model to develop design in the virtual design studio, and global dissent in the management of cyberspace resources. The U.S. office of WIT Press is Computational Mechanics. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Introduction to coastal dynamics and shoreline protection.

Compiling lectures notes from his course for students of environmental sciences, Benassai (U. of Naples-Parthenope), begins each chapter by setting out the fundamental principles of the topic, and includes case studies for nearly all of them. He deals primarily with sandy coastlines, covering an integrated approach to coastal dynamics, meteo-marine factors and the mechanisms of sediment transport, choosing between various protection systems, and some basic elements of hydraulic and structural design for both rigid structures and beach fills. He has not indexed his work. The US office of WIT Press is Computational Mechanics. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Steps towards an evolutionary physics.

Tiezzi (physical chemistry, University of Siena, Italy) introduces the elements of a new concept of physics, an evolutionary physics, based on the intuitions and fundamental work of Ilya Prigogine, winner of the Nobel Prize in chemistry. A discussion of entropy forms the linkage between the ideas of Prigogine and Charles Darwin, leading to the author's creation of a new science, ecodynamics. Tiezzi presents a range of examples and paradoxes to stimulate readers' curiosity about songs and shapes of nature, the uncertainty principle and the concept of probability, the nature of time, and complexity in an evolving biosphere. The book includes b&w photos and images and chapter-opening quotes from popular culture, and the publisher bills the book as a popular science essay; but general readers may be put off by the formal look of the book and the mathematical equations. The US office of WIT Press is Computational Mechanics. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Structures under shock and impact; proceedings.

The 53 papers cover impact and blast loading characteristics, material response to high rate loading, missile penetration and explosion, protecting structures from blast loads, the behavior of structural concrete, correlation between computational and experimental results, energy absorbing issues, structural crash-worthiness, structural serviceability under impact loading, and seismic engineering applications. None of them address the World Trade Center explicitly, though mention is made of how that collapse has boosted interest in the field. The US office of WIT Press is Computational Mechanics. There is no subject index. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

The sustainable city 4; urban regeneration and sustainability; proceedings.

A July 2006 conference held in Estonia brought together participants from academia and industry to discuss interrelated aspects of the urban environment, from transport to social exclusion. About 80 papers from the conference are presented here, organized under the headings of architectural issues, cultural heritage, planning, strategy and development, land use, environmental management, energy resources, sustainable transportation, the community and the city, socioeconomic issues, and public safety. Some specific topics examined include community participation in urban renewal projects in Johannesburg, South Africa, environmental justice in Scotland, conservation of cultural and environmental heritage in Afghan cities, and elevated pedestrian walkways. There is no subject index. The US office of WIT Press is Computational Mechanics. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Sustainable irrigation management, technologies and policies.

These papers from the proceedings from the conference of the same name held September 2006 in Bologna, Italy cover the management of increasingly scarce water resources, scientific and technical aspects of irrigation, and matters relating to national and international policies and economics. Papers include irrigation controls in situ, systems and planning in such areas as China and salty California, irrigation modeling, including hydraulic systems and subsurface irrigation, and irrigation management in such areas as Spain, Australia, South Africa and the Rio Grande. Examples include systems using low quality water and the retrieval of eroded areas. The US office of WIT Press is Computational Mechanics. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Sustainable tourism II; proceedings.

Contributors from the tourist industry, economics, and environmental sciences consider issues raised by an increased desire of tourists to see nature and experience exotic cultures rather than visit famous ruins and cities, and the growing acknowledgment that tourism degrades those very attractions. Only the authors are indexed. The US office of WIT Press is Computational Mechanics. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Urban transport XII; urban transport and the environment in the 21st century; proceedings.

Brebbia (Wessex Institute of Technology, UK) and Dolezel (Technical U. Pardubice, Czech Republic), affiliated with the sponsoring institutions, introduce 89 papers presented at the 2006 conference treating topics relating to the analysis of the complex interaction of the urban transport environment and strategies for transport problems. While this area is a major concern for urban planners and central governments worldwide, they note that the concern tends to be driven by demand, but even the best planned systems require ongoing studies of their safety and operational use. Contributors review the latest data and thinking on aspects of transport including technologies, modeling, logistics, security, sustainability, and integration with land use planning. The volume lacks a subject index. The US office of WIT Press is Computational Mechanics. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)