Robots, aerospace structures, active earthquake-damping devices of tall buildings, and active sound suppression are examples of the application of structural dynamics and control methods. This book addresses the structural dynamics and control problems encountered by mechanical, civil, and control engineers. Many problems presented in this book originated in recent applications in the aerospace industry, and have been solved using the approach presented here. Dynamics analysis and controller design for flexible structures require a special approach due to the large size of structural models,...

1. 1 History of Solvent Abuse The practice of deliberately inhaling various gases or vapors in order to induce an altered state of mood or sensibility is not new. As noted repeatedly in other reviews (eg, Cohen, 1973; Novak, 1980), it was recognized in early Greek civilization as an adjunct to divination; indeed, it has now become customary, if not obligatory, to refer to the Oracle at Delphi before considering the more recent history of the subject. According to legend, the priestess at the Temple at Delphi would achieve communion with the Gods by inhaling the naturally-occurring gas that...

Presents applications of Bayesian statistical analysis, each of which emphasizes the scientific context of the problems it attempts to solve. This volume focuses on biomedical applications.

Deposit feeders, animals that derive nutrition from organic matter in sedimentary deposits, are dominant among the inhabitants of muds and, therefore, of the benthos of much of the ocean. In this volume the critical research problems pertaining to deposit feeders are identified and promising approaches for dealing with those problems are proposed. Interdisciplinary approaches are of utmost importance in the study of deposit feeders and their sedimentary environment, merging fields as disparate as nutritional physiology and sediment geochemistry. Among the topics presented are advances in...