The Method of Normal Forms

One of the essential characteristics of living beings is the explosion of variety in their forms that is intrinsically linked to the diversity of the environments they have adapted to.

This book, the result of collaboration between international specialists, analyzes the multiplicity of these morphologies. It explores the origin of forms, their role in defining living things, and the relationship between form and function. It exposes the role of genes and epigenetics and examines the forms of bacteria, protists and plants. The Explosion of Life Forms also studies the memory of animals and their sensory processes, the forms of robots (built in the image of living things), and medical technologies aimed at restoring damaged living forms. Finally, this work questions a common principle of construction in the diversity of forms, as well as the idea of an abandonment of the form, a possible hidden defect of some modern philosophies.

The seismoelectric method consists of measuring electromagnetic signals associated with the propagation of seismic waves or seismic sources in porous media. This method is useful in an increasing number of applications, for example to characterize aquifers, contaminant plumes or the vadose zone. This book provides the first full overview of the fundamental concepts of this method. It begins with a historical perspective, provides a full explanation of the fundamental mechanisms, laboratory investigations, and the formulation of the forward and inverse problems. It provides a recent extension of the theory to two-phase flow conditions, and a new approach called seismoelectric beamforming. It concludes with a chapter presenting a perspective on the method. This book is a key reference for academic researchers in geophysics, environmental geosciences, geohydrology, environmental engineering and geotechnical engineering. It will also be valuable reading for graduate courses dealing with seismic wave propagation and related electromagnetic effects.

This book introduces state-of-the-art verification techniques for real-time embedded systems, based on the inverse method for parametric timed automata. It reviews popular formalisms for the specification and verification of timed concurrent systems and, in particular, timed automata as well as several extensions such as timed automata equipped with stopwatches, linear hybrid automata and affine hybrid automata. The inverse method is introduced, and its benefits for guaranteeing robustness in real-time systems are shown. Then, it is shown how an iteration of the inverse method can solve the good parameters problem for parametric timed automata by computing a behavioral cartography of the system. Different extensions are proposed particularly for hybrid systems and applications to scheduling problems using timed automata with stopwatches. Various examples, both from the literature and industry, illustrate the techniques throughout the book. Various parametric verifications are performed, in particular of abstractions of a memory circuit sold by the chipset manufacturer ST-Microelectronics, as well as of the prospective flight control system of the next generation of spacecraft designed by ASTRIUM Space Transportation. Contents: 1. Parametric Timed Automata. 2. The Inverse Method for Parametric Timed Automata. 3. The Inverse Method in Practice: Application to Case Studies. 4. Behavioral Cartography of Timed Automata. 5. Parameter Synthesis for Hybrid Automata. 6. Application to the Robustness Analysis of Scheduling Problems. 7. Conclusion and Perspectives. About the Authors ?tienne Andr? is Associate Professor in the Laboratoire d’Informatique de Paris Nord, in the University of Paris 13 (Sorbonne Paris Cit?) in France. His current research interests focus on the verification of real-time systems. Romain Soulat is currently completing his PhD at the LSV laboratory at ENS-Cachan in France, focusing on the modeling and verification of hybrid temporal systems.

The leading reference on probabilistic methods in combinatorics-now expanded and updated When it was first published in 1991, The Probabilistic Method became instantly the standard reference on one of the most powerful and widely used tools in combinatorics. Still without competition nearly a decade later, this new edition brings you up to speed on recent developments, while adding useful exercises and over 30% new material. It continues to emphasize the basic elements of the methodology, discussing in a remarkably clear and informal style both algorithmic and classical methods as well as modern applications. The Probabilistic Method, Second Edition begins with basic techniques that use expectation and variance, as well as the more recent martingales and correlation inequalities, then explores areas where probabilistic techniques proved successful, including discrepancy and random graphs as well as cutting-edge topics in theoretical computer science. A series of proofs, or «probabilistic lenses,» are interspersed throughout the book, offering added insight into the application of the probabilistic approach. New and revised coverage includes: * Several improved as well as new results * A continuous approach to discrete probabilistic problems * Talagrand's Inequality and other novel concentration results * A discussion of the connection between discrepancy and VC-dimension * Several combinatorial applications of the entropy function and its properties * A new section on the life and work of Paul Erd?s-the developer of the probabilistic method

Praise for the Third Edition “Researchers of any kind of extremal combinatorics or theoretical computer science will welcome the new edition of this book.” – MAA Reviews Maintaining a standard of excellence that establishes The Probabilistic Method as the leading reference on probabilistic methods in combinatorics, the Fourth Edition continues to feature a clear writing style, illustrative examples, and illuminating exercises. The new edition includes numerous updates to reflect the most recent developments and advances in discrete mathematics and the connections to other areas in mathematics, theoretical computer science, and statistical physics. Emphasizing the methodology and techniques that enable problem-solving, The Probabilistic Method, Fourth Edition begins with a description of tools applied to probabilistic arguments, including basic techniques that use expectation and variance as well as the more advanced applications of martingales and correlation inequalities. The authors explore where probabilistic techniques have been applied successfully and also examine topical coverage such as discrepancy and random graphs, circuit complexity, computational geometry, and derandomization of randomized algorithms. Written by two well-known authorities in the field, the Fourth Edition features: Additional exercises throughout with hints and solutions to select problems in an appendix to help readers obtain a deeper understanding of the best methods and techniques New coverage on topics such as the Local Lemma, Six Standard Deviations result in Discrepancy Theory, Property B, and graph limits Updated sections to reflect major developments on the newest topics, discussions of the hypergraph container method, and many new references and improved results The Probabilistic Method, Fourth Edition is an ideal textbook for upper-undergraduate and graduate-level students majoring in mathematics, computer science, operations research, and statistics. The Fourth Edition is also an excellent reference for researchers and combinatorists who use probabilistic methods, discrete mathematics, and number theory. Noga Alon, PhD, is Baumritter Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at Tel Aviv University. He is a member of the Israel National Academy of Sciences and Academia Europaea. A coeditor of the journal Random Structures and Algorithms, Dr. Alon is the recipient of the Polya Prize, The G?del Prize, The Israel Prize, and the EMET Prize. Joel H. Spencer, PhD, is Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at the Courant Institute of New York University. He is the cofounder and coeditor of the journal Random Structures and Algorithms and is a Sloane Foundation Fellow. Dr. Spencer has written more than 200 published articles and is the coauthor of Ramsey Theory, Second Edition, also published by Wiley.

A comprehensive review of the Finite Element Method (FEM), this book provides the fundamentals together with a wide range of applications in civil, mechanical and aeronautical engineering. It addresses both the theoretical and numerical implementation aspects of the FEM, providing examples in several important topics such as solid mechanics, fluid mechanics and heat transfer, appealing to a wide range of engineering disciplines. Written by a renowned author and academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering, The Finite Element Method would appeal to researchers looking to understand how the fundamentals of the FEM can be applied in other disciplines. Researchers and graduate students studying hydraulic, mechanical and civil engineering will find it a practical reference text.

Computational mechanics is the discipline concerned with the use of computational methods to study phenomena governed by the principles of mechanics. Before the emergence of computational science (also called scientific computing) as a «third way» besides theoretical and experimental sciences, computational mechanics was widely considered to be a sub-discipline of applied mechanics. It is now considered to be a sub-discipline within computational science. This book presents a recent state of the art on the foundations and applications of the meshless natural element method in computational mechanics, including structural mechanics and material forming processes involving solids and Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids.

Essential project management forms aligned to the PMBOK® Guide—Sixth Edition A Project Manager's Book of Forms is an essential companion to the Project Management Institute's A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge. Packed with ready-made forms for managing every stage in any project, this book offers both new and experienced project managers an invaluable resource for thorough documentation and repeatable processes. Endorsed by PMI and aligned with the PMBOK® Guide, these forms cover all aspects of initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing; each form can be used as-is directly from the book, or downloaded from the companion website and tailored to your project's unique needs. This new third edition has been updated to align with the newest PMBOK® Guide, and includes forms for agile, the PMI Talent Triangle, technical project management, leadership, strategic and business management, and more. The PMBOK® Guide is the primary reference for project management, and the final authority on best practices—but implementation can quickly become complex for new managers on large projects, or even experienced managers juggling multiple projects with multiple demands. This book helps you stay organized and on-track, helping you ensure thorough documentation throughout the project life cycle. Adopt PMI-endorsed forms for documenting every process group Customize each form to suit each project's specific needs Organize project data and implement a repeatable management process Streamline PMBOK® Guide implementation at any level of project management experience Instead of wasting time interpreting and translating the PMBOK® Guide to real-world application, allow PMI to do the work for you: A Project Manager's Book of Forms provides the PMBOK®-aligned forms you need to quickly and easily implement project management concepts and practices.

This title demonstrates how to develop computer programmes which solve specific engineering problems using the finite element method. It enables students, scientists and engineers to assemble their own computer programmes to produce numerical results to solve these problems. The first three editions of Programming the Finite Element Method established themselves as an authority in this area. This fully revised 4th edition includes completely rewritten programmes with a unique description and list of parallel versions of programmes in Fortran 90. The Fortran programmes and subroutines described in the text will be made available on the Internet via anonymous ftp, further adding to the value of this title.