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This volume examines problem solving and applied systems aimed at improving performance and management of organizations. The book's eight chapters are integrated into two parts: methodologies and techniques that discuss complex dynamic analysis of the organizations, participative processes for building trend scenarios, consultancy as a systemic intervention process, processes to promote innovative goals in organizations, and analytical processes and solid mathematical representation systems. The authors also include a model to urban parks location, an analytic model to urban services location, and a system to forecast demand with fussy sets.Describes methodologies to analyze processes in complex dynamic organizations, including as participative, interventional, innovative, and analytical approaches;Clarifies a strategies for providing structure to complex organizations and applying analytical methods to decision making;Illustrates problem holistic solving strategies;Explains how to approach several problems from a holistic point of view and how analyze the subjacent processes to make decisions.

This updated edition retains its introduction to applied fundamental statistics, probability, reliability, and decision theory as these pertain to problems in Civil Engineering. The new edition adds an expanded treatment of systems reliability, Bayesian methods, and spatial variabililty, along with additional example problems throughout. The book provides readers with the tools needed to determine the probability of failure, and when multiplied by the consequences of failure, illustrates how to assess the risk of civil engineering problems. Presenting methods for quantifying uncertainty that exists in engineering analysis and design, with an emphasis on fostering more accurate analysis and design, the text is ideal for students and practitioners of a range of civil engineering disciplines. Expands on the class-tested pedagogy from the first edition with more material and more examples;Broadens understanding with simulations coded both in Matlab and inR; Features new chapters on spatial variability and Bayesian methods;Emphasizes techniques for estimating the influence of uncertainty on the probability of failure

Online fault diagnosis is crucial to ensure safe operation of complex dynamic systems in spite of faults affecting the system behaviors. Consequences of the occurrence of faults can be severe and result in human casualties, environmentally harmful emissions, high repair costs, and economical losses caused by unexpected stops in production lines. The majority of real systems are hybrid dynamic systems (HDS). In HDS, the dynamical behaviors evolve continuously with time according to the discrete mode (configuration) in which the system is. Consequently, fault diagnosis approaches must take into account both discrete and continuous dynamics as well as the interactions between them in order to perform correct fault diagnosis. This book presents recent and advanced approaches and techniques that address the complex problem of fault diagnosis of hybrid dynamic and complex systems using different model-based and data-driven approaches in different application domains (inductor motors, chemical process formed by tanks, reactors and valves, ignition engine, sewer networks, mobile robots, planetary rover prototype etc.). These approaches cover the different aspects of performing single/multiple online/offline parametric/discrete abrupt/tear and wear fault diagnosis in incremental/non-incremental manner, using different modeling tools (hybrid automata, hybrid Petri nets, hybrid bond graphs, extended Kalman filter etc.) for different classes of hybrid dynamic and complex systems.

This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license.This book summarizes work being pursued in the context of the CIPRNet (Critical Infrastructure Preparedness and Resilience Research Network) research project, co-funded by the European Union under the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). The project is intended to provide concrete and on-going support to the Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) research communities, enhancing their preparedness for CI-related emergencies, while also providing expertise and technologies for other stakeholders to promote their understanding and mitigation of the consequences of CI disruptions, leading to enhanced resilience. The book collects the tutorial material developed by the authors for several courses on the modelling, simulation and analysis of CIs, representing extensive and integrated CIP expertise. It will help CI stakeholders, CI operators and civil protection authorities understand the complex system of CIs, and help them adapt to these changes and threats in order to be as prepared as possible for mitigating emergencies and crises affecting or arising from CIs.

Applications of Finite Element Methods for Reliability Studies on ULSI Interconnections provides a detailed description of the application of finite element methods (FEMs) to the study of ULSI interconnect reliability. Over the past two decades the application of FEMs has become widespread and continues to lead to a much better understanding of reliability physics.To help readers cope with the increasing sophistication of FEMs'applications to interconnect reliability, Applications of Finite Element Methods for Reliability Studies on ULSI Interconnections will:introduce the principle of FEMs;review numerical modeling of ULSI interconnect reliability;describe the physical mechanism of ULSI interconnect reliability encountered in the electronics industry; anddiscuss in detail the use of FEMs to understand and improve ULSI interconnect reliability from both the physical and practical perspective, incorporating the Monte Carlo method.A full-scale review of the numerical modeling methodology used in the study of interconnect reliability highlights useful and noteworthy techniques that have been developed recently. Many illustrations are used throughout the book to improve the reader's understanding of the methodology and its verification. Actual experimental results and micrographs on ULSI interconnects are also included.Applications of Finite Element Methods for Reliability Studies on ULSI Interconnections is a good reference for researchers who are working on interconnect reliability modeling, as well as for those who want to know more about FEMs for reliability applications. It gives readers a thorough understanding of the applications of FEM to reliability modeling and an appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of various numerical models for interconnect reliability.

Complex System Reliability presents a state-of-the-art treatment of complex multi-channel system reliability assessment and provides the requisite tools, techniques and algorithms required for designing, evaluating and optimizing ultra-reliable redundant systems. Critical topics that make Complex System Reliability a unique and definitive resource include: • redundant system analysis for k-out-of-n systems (including complex systems with embedded k-out-of-n structures) involving both perfect and imperfect fault coverage; • imperfect fault coverage analysis techniques, including algorithms for assessing the reliability of redundant systems in which each element is subject to a given coverage value (element level coverage) or in which the system uses voting to avoid the effects of a failed element (fault level coverage); and • state-of-the-art binary decision diagram analysis techniques, including the latest and most efficient algorithms for the reliability assessment of large, complex redundant systems. This practical presentation includes numerous fully worked examples that provide detailed explanations of both the underlying design principles and the techniques (such as combinatorial, recursive and binary decision diagram algorithms) used to obtain quantitative results. Many of the worked examples are based on the design of modern digital fly-by-wire control system technology. Complex System Reliability provides in-depth coverage of systems subject to either perfect or imperfect fault coverage and also the most recent techniques for correctly assessing the reliability of redundant systems that use mid-value-select voting as their primary means of redundancy management. It is a valuable resource for those involved in the design and reliability assessment of highly reliable systems, particularly in the aerospace and automotive sectors.