Outline of the book

This book consists of eight chapters. Chapter 1 provides a brief introduction to transparent materials, transparent ceramics, issues on transparency of transparent materials, and solid-state lasers (including single dystals and ceramics). Requirements and availabilities of materials for solid-state lasers are also evaluated and discussed in detail. 

Chapter 3 covers synthesis of precursor powders of transparent ceramics. These synthetic methods are also widely used for other ceramics or other materials. For each method, a brief description, together with examples of transparent ceramics derived from the powder synthesized by using the method, will be presented. There is no attempt to comment on whether one method is superior to another. In fact, every method has its own advantages and disadvantages. Different methods could be suitable for different transparent ceramic materials. 

Chapter 4 consists of two parts (i) powder characterization and (ii) consolidation of ceramic powders. In the powder characterization part, efforts have been made to include as many techniques as possible, which have been used or are potentially useful to characterize the precursor powders of transparent ceramics. In the powder consolidation part, various packing techniques are discussed and demonstrated with examples of transparent ceramics. 

Applications of transparent ceramics are covered in the last two chapters, with Chap. 9 focusing on solid-state lasers with transparent ceramics and Chap. 10 on all other applications of transparent ceramics. In Chap. 9, besides traditional transparent laser ceramics, advanced ceramic laser technologies, including composite ceramics and crystal fibers (not ceramics), are also included, in order to demonstrate new research and development direction of solid-state lasers. In Chap. 10, other applications, such as lighting, scintillation, armor, potential biomaterials, and so on, are summarized and discussed. 

Although each chapter covers only a specific topic, all the chapters are compiled in such a way that each one is self-consistent, so as to be read as an independent monograph. 

Examples of actual chromatograms together with the details of the stationary and mobile phases are presented with the intention that, even if the reader cannot find the particular separation which is required, the information provided will allow appropriate conditions to be devised. 

Between the initial chapter and the final chapter, we present a more conventional treatment of molecular heterogeneous catalysis, with a focus on surface catalytic elementary reaction steps and their connection to overall catalytic behavior for a series of different substrates including metals, zeolites, metal oxides and metal sulfides. 

The final section in Chapter 2 deals with the molecular asp ects of transition-metal catalysis. It serves as an introduction to Chapter 3. A characteristic feature of the transition-metal surfaces under catalytic conditions is their potential to restructure. Adsorbate overlayer adsorption can induce the surface to reconstruct with rapid diffusion of the metal as well as the overlayer atoms. The state of the surface may start to resemble that of a solid state compound. The state of the surface is not only strongly influenced by the composition of the reactant gas, but can also be strongly affected by the addition of promoters or other modifiers, that can result in alloy formation or new complex surface phases. 

In order to describe the active sites and the associated kinetics, two predominant theories ascribed to Langmuir and Taylor have prevailed in heterogeneous catalysis. In the 

Langmuirian view, the active catalytic surface is comprised of a uniform distribution of static sites that do not interact with one another. This is sharply contrasted by the Taylor view, which proposes vacancies and topologically unique surface atom configurations as the centers of reactivity. The Langmuirian idea of a catalytically reactive surface leads to the ensemble effect that ascribes the changes in the selectivity for an alloy surface to the dilution of multi-atom surface ensembles in the alloy induced by mixing inert components into the active surface. In this view, the selectivity of a particular reaction depends predominantly on the number of reactive surface atoms that participate in elementary reaction events. 

Recent surface science discoveries, however, demonstrate that step edges and defect sites display markedly lower activation barriers than terrace sites, and thus promote the Taylorian view of catalysis. The selectivity can be strongly influenced by the specific poisoning of these step edge sites. For a number of hydrocarbon conversion processes, these steps will be the most active and lead to potential C-H and C-C bond breaking steps which can ultimately result in deactivation via the formation of surface graphene overlayers. 

Chapter no. Sensors/actuators Signal transmission. Integrated processing processes and control and products Bio-processes and products 

The third part contains five chapters, with a focus on integrating processes and integrated structures. Chapter 10 provides an overview of the developments and key issues in fibre-optic smart textile composites. Chapter 11 presents hollow fibre membranes for gas separation. Chapter 12 describes embroidery as one way of integrating fibre-formed components into textile structures. Chapters 13 and 14 are on wearable electronic and photonic technologies. Chapter 13 provides insights on adaptive and responsive textile structures (ARTS). Chapter 14 describes the development of an intelligent snowmobile suit. 

The fourth part, embracing the last three chapters, is focused on bioapplications. Chapter 15 outlines various bioprocesses for smart textiles and clothing, and Chapter 16 concentrates on tailor-made intelligent polymers for biomedical applications. Chapter 17 describes the applications of scaffolds in tissue engineering, where various textile structures are used for cells to grow. 

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Three main research projects informed this book. Full ethical approval from the University of Glasgow was received for each of these studies. Participants were assured confidentiality within the confines of the Children s Act (1995) Scotland. All interviews were taped and fully transcribed with the consent of the participant. Most of the interviews took about an hour and most of those with relatives were carried out in their homes. These studies are described below whilst also providing an outline of the book s contents. 

The thematic outline of the book was conceived during winter 2006/2007. The contents of the book thus basically reflect the specialized areas of research at the intersection of supramolecular chemistry and hybrid (nano)materials that were established at that time. However, because of the vibrant drive of research in these two areas, it is not surprising that significant new developments are being conceived, realized, and published almost quarterly. Of course, once new findings are reported, especially on novel composite materials, it is difficult to forecast whether they will become important... 

By February 1912, however, having become fully convinced of the primacy of carbonic acid and water in the environment and the importance of the buffer concept, he set about writing The Fitness of the Environment. He claimed that he made no outline of the book (or of later ones, for that matter, including the treatise on Blood) and spent less than sixty days (and probably closer to fifty) writing the volume (p. 186). 

We expect the book to be a valuable resource for researchers, including graduate students, in the areas of smart materials and robotics. Practitioners in biomedical engineering, robotic systems, structural health monitoring will also find this book of interest. In addition, the book can serve as a reference for graduate-level courses in smart materials. A brief outline of the book follows. 

Abstract Fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites have become essential materials for maintaining and strengthening existing infrastructure. Many new innovative types of hybrid material and structural systems have been developed using FRP composite materials. Increased utilisation of FRP requires that structural engineers and practitioners be able to understand the behaviour of FRP materials and design composite structures. This book provides an overview of different advanced FRP composites and the use of these materials in a variety of application areas. This chapter specifically covers a brief review on FRP applications and gives an outline of the book. 

The detailed outline of the book by chapter is as follows This chapter presents an overview of cryogenic propulsion technology development, cryogenic fluids, cryogenic fluid... 

Part I introduces the concept of the SHE information system and presents four complementary perspectives on accident prevention. It also presents a case and explains the outline of the book in the light of this case. 

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