the Nest of Students

What’s New in the Second Edition: This latest edition builds on the concepts of the first edition and covers the case studies involved in slope stability analysis in greater detail. The book adds a chapter on the procedures involved in performing limit equilibrium analysis, as well as a chapter on the design and construction practice in Hong Kong. It includes more examples and illustrations on the distinct element of slope, the relation between limit equilibrium and plasticity theory, the fundamental connections between slope stability analysis and the bearing capacity problem, as well as the stability of the three-dimensional slope under patch load conditions. Addresses new concepts in three-dimensional stability analysis, finite element analysis, and the extension of slope stability problems to lateral earth pressure problems + Offers a unified approach to engineering and construction problems, including slope stability, bearing capacity, and earth pressure behind retaining structures + Emphasizes how to translate the conceptual design conceived in the design office into physical implementation on site in a holistic way + Discusses problems that were discovered during the development of associated computer programs. This text assesses the fundamental assumptions and limitations of stability analysis methods and computer modelling, and benefits students taking an elective course on slope stability, as well as geotechnical engineering professionals specializing in slope stability.

Some lessons are only learned from mistakes but, it’s much cheaper to learn from someone else’s mistakes than to have to do so from your own. Drawing on over fifty years of working with concrete structures, Robin Whittle examines the problems which he has seen occur and shows how they could have been avoided. The first and largest part of the book tells the stories of a number of cases where things have gone wrong with concrete structures. Each case is analyzed to identify its cause and how it might have been prevented. It then looks at how failures in structural modelling can lead to big problems if they are not identified before construction is undertaken. Beyond this it examines how contract arrangements can encourage or prevent problems in the designing and building processes. It concludes with an examination of the role research and development in preventing failures. By identifying the differences between shoddy economizations and genuine efficiency savings, this book offers savings in the short term which won’t be at the expense of a structure’s long-term performance. Invaluable reading if you’re designing or building concrete structures and want to avoid problems which could be expensive or embarrassing further down the line.

Essential MATLAB for Engineers and Scientists, Seventh Edition, provides a concise, balanced overview of MATLAB's functionality, covering both fundamentals and applications. The essentials are illustrated throughout, featuring complete coverage of the software's windows and menus. Program design and algorithm development are presented, along with many examples from a wide range of familiar scientific and engineering areas. This edition has been updated to include the latest MATLAB versions through 2018b. This is an ideal book for a first course on MATLAB, but is also ideal for an engineering problem-solving course using MATLAB. Updated to include all the newer features through MATLAB R2018b + Includes new chapter on useful toolboxes + Provides additional examples on engineering applications.

Presents a unique approach to grasping the concepts of quantum theory with a focus on atoms, clusters, and crystals. Quantum theory of atoms and molecules is vitally important in molecular physics, materials science, nanoscience, solid state physics and many related fields. Introductory Quantum Mechanics with MATLAB is designed to be an accessible guide to quantum theory and its applications. The textbook uses the popular MATLAB programming language for the analytical and numerical solution of quantum mechanical problems, with a particular focus on clusters and assemblies of atoms. The textbook is written by a noted researcher and expert on the topic who introduces density functional theory, variational calculus and other practice-proven methods for the solution of quantum-mechanical problems. This important guide: - Presents the material in a didactical manner to help students grasp the concepts and applications of quantum theory. - Covers a wealth of cutting-edge topics such as clusters, nanocrystals, transitions and organic molecules. - Offers MATLAB codes to solve real-life quantum mechanical problems. Written for master's and PhD students in physics, chemistry, material science, and engineering sciences, Introductory Quantum Mechanics with MATLAB contains an accessible approach to understanding the concepts of quantum theory applied to atoms, clusters, and crystals.

Marco Dorigo, Thomas Stützle ... 319 pages - Publisher: Bradford Book; (June, 2004) ... Language: English - ISBN-10: 0262042193 - ISBN-13: 978-0262042192.

The complex social behaviors of ants have been much studied by science, and computer scientists are now finding that these behavior patterns can provide models for solving difficult combinatorial optimization problems. The attempt to develop algorithms inspired by one aspect of ant behavior, the ability to find what computer scientists would call shortest paths, has become the field of ant colony optimization (ACO), the most successful and widely recognized algorithmic technique based on ant behavior. This book presents an overview of this rapidly growing field, from its theoretical inception to practical applications, including descriptions of many available ACO algorithms and their uses. The book first describes the translation of observed ant behavior into working optimization algorithms. The ant colony metaheuristic is then introduced and viewed in the general context of combinatorial optimization. This is followed by a detailed description and guide to all major ACO algorithms and a report on current theoretical findings. The book surveys ACO applications now in use, including routing, assignment, scheduling, subset, machine learning, and bioinformatics problems. AntNet, an ACO algorithm designed for the network routing problem, is described in detail. The authors conclude by summarizing the progress in the field and outlining future research directions. Each chapter ends with bibliographic material, bullet points setting out important ideas covered in the chapter, and exercises. Ant Colony Optimization will be of interest to academic and industry researchers, graduate students, and practitioners who wish to learn how to implement ACO algorithms.

The authors stress the relative simplicity, efficiency, flexibility of use, and suitability of various approaches used to solve difficult optimization problems. The authors are experienced, interdisciplinary lecturers and researchers and in their explanations they demonstrate many shared foundational concepts among the key methodologies. This textbook is a suitable introduction for undergraduate and graduate students, researchers, and professionals in computer science, engineering, and logistics.

Ke-Lin Du, M. N. S. Swamy ... 489 pages - Publisher: Springer; (December, 2016) ... Language: English - ISBN-10: 3319454013 - ISBN-13: 978-3319454016.

This textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to nature-inspired metaheuristic methods for search and optimization, including the latest trends in evolutionary algorithms and other forms of natural computing.  Over 100 different types of these methods are discussed in detail.  The authors emphasize non-standard optimization problems and utilize a natural approach to the topic, moving from basic notions to more complex ones. An introductory chapter covers the necessary biological and mathematical backgrounds for understanding the main material.  Subsequent chapters then explore almost all of the major metaheuristics for search and optimization created based on natural phenomena, including simulated annealing, recurrent neural networks, genetic algorithms and genetic programming, differential evolution, memetic algorithms, particle swarm optimization, artificial immune systems, ant colony optimization, tabu search and scatter search, bee and bacteria foraging algorithms, harmony search, biomolecular computing, quantum computing, and many others.  General topics on dynamic, multimodal, constrained, and multiobjective optimizations are also described.  Each chapter includes detailed flowcharts that illustrate specific algorithms and exercises that reinforce important topics.  Introduced in the appendix are some benchmarks for the evaluation of metaheuristics. Search and Optimization by Metaheuristics is intended primarily as a textbook for graduate and advanced undergraduate students specializing in engineering and computer science.  It will also serve as a valuable resource for scientists and researchers working in these areas, as well as those who are interested in search and optimization methods.