* NEW-Provides four new chapters on: * Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA). * Total Productive Maintenance (TPM). * ISO 14000. * Management Tools. FEATURES * Covers the principles and practices that make up the backbone of TQM, with insightful analyses of such areas as: * Leadership (i.e., the role of senior management, core values, seven habits of highly effective people, communication, and strategic planning). * Customer satisfaction (including their perception of quality, feedback, and translating needs into requirements). * Employee involvement (motivation, empowerment, team training, unions, and more). * Performance measures (its basic concepts, quality costs). * Fully explores TQMs tools and techniques, with informativ

    Sometimes wacky, sometimes profound, the title is always entertaining, with the odd bit of sleaze.

    Through his wildly popular series Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Kane Chronicles, 39 Clues, and The Heroes of Olympus, Riordan has sparked young readers interest in world mythology and literature, a renewed fascination that is reinforced by film adaptations, toys, games, and other tie-ins. As a child, Riordan thought of books as too difficult to read and, in the end, not very interesting or worth the effortin fact, he grew up as a reluctant reader who didnt like books. While Riordan did eventually grow to love both reading and writing, it was a long journey for him. He has now found enormous success as a writer and storyteller. When he noticed his own young son struggling with reading, Riordan was able to capture his attention in the same way that he had finally been hookedthrough an interest in the otherworldly appeal of mythology. It was from these bedtime stories that he told to his son that the Percy Jackson series was born. The series not only helped to capture his sons imagination, it started a very successful career for Riordan as a young adult writer. Today, not only do Percy Jackson fans eagerly await another movie installment of the bestselling books, but increasing hype surrounds the film adaptations of the Kane Chronicles and The 39 Clues, too. Behind all of these impressive tokens of fame and success lie very humble beginnings. The stories millions of children love today came from the mind of just one man. This is Riordans inspiring story, one that is every bit as intriguing, dramatic, motivational, and full of unexpected twists and turns as any of his beloved and fantastical works of fiction. This volume includes fact

    From choosing the right cells to designing a battery pack and building it yourself, this book includes all the steps for building safe, effective custom lithium battery packs.

    This book offers numerous examples to help you avoid the many pitfalls that entrap new and not-so-new database designers. Through the help of use cases and class diagrams modeled in the UML, youll learn how to discover and represent the details and scope of the problem in question.Database design is not an exact science, and solid database design principles and examples help demonstrate the consequences of simplifications and pragmatic decisions. The rationale is to try to keep it simple, but allow room for development as situations change or resources permit. The book also features an introduction for implementing the final design in a relational database.

    These paranormal romances contain graphic language, steamy love scenes, and lovable alpha males that also happen to be demons. A Dangerous Bargain: Kat Larson is haunted by demons. Literally. And how was she to know that there was more than one type of demon? The Evils want to destroy her soul, while handsome billionaire Sentinel demon, Zachary Winston, claims that he wants to protect her. Kat opts for Zach’s protection but it requires a demon bargain and what he suggests surprises poor Kat almost as much as the fact that demons really do exist. Zach must protect Kat from the Evils that will corrupt her soul. She is his “radiant,” the one woman who can lighten the darkness of his demon existence and be his eternal mate. Zach also has to fight an internal war. He’s one-part demon, one-part man, but they both yearn for Kat’s lush, full figured body and kind, compassionate heart. As Zach becomes more and more enchanted with Kat, he’s hoping she can learn to love a lonely man/demon that’s only slightly wicked. A Dangerous Hunger: Dr. Talia Maris had lived her entire life as a freak—a too tall, too plain, too odd woman who sees and senses the presence of otherworldly entities. A total recluse, Talia spends all of her time on her research with only her loyal feline companion for company. Until that sedate existence comes crashing down around her when she starts being pursued by demon Evils. And if there’s one thing she hates…it’s demons. She ditches every one of them until tall, handsome Sentinel demon, Drew Winston, finally wins the game of pursuit by trapping her with a deceitful, underhanded trick. Not only is she infuriated by Drew’s stunt, but when he tells her that she is his mate, all she wants is to get rid of Drew as quickly as possible! Drew had never wanted or expected a mate of his own, but once he has Talia in his grasp, he’s determined to keep her safe and make her want to stay with him forever. A Dangerous Fury: When Hunter Winston is sent on a mission to find a mysterious female who can help the Sentinels finally win their battle against the Evils, he’s not happy about the errand interrupting his constant compulsion to kill the red-eyed, ugly evil demons. But he owes his brothers and their Sentinel king his life, so he hopes he can get the task done as soon as possible. But Hunter is about to discover that retrieving a single female can be very complicated when it is the goddess, Athena, who has been held prisoner for thousands of years. The time of the gods is long gone, and she’s ready to go to her final rest as soon as she knows the balance between good and evil is restored. Unfortunately, that isn’t what the Fates had planned for her. Can an angry Hunter and a virginal but powerful goddess embrace their destiny, or will the many forces working against them destroy their one shot at happiness? A Dangerous Demon King: Kristoff Agares, King of the Sentinels, is trapped in the realm of the Evils, close to death and powerless from the demon's physical and mental torture. He's barely hanging onto his sanity until he gets a telepathic message from a mystery woman who makes him want to survive, no matter what it takes. After being rescued by an elite group of Sentinels, Kristoff can't ignore his powerful longing to claim his mate; the mystery woman. She was captured by the Evils as a child, and held prisoner for over two centuries, until the Sentinels set her free. With the World in chaos, and the balance tipping almost irrevocably in the Evils favor, the last thing Kristoff thinks he needs is a radiant, a human mate who will lighten his soul.

    In a self-contained manner it proceeds from mathematical and theoretical considerations to actual practical computer routines. With over 100 new routines bringing the total to well over 300, plus upgraded versions of the original routines, the new edition remains the most practical, comprehensive handbook of scientific computing available today.

    Numerous practical circuit design examples are offered, using currently-available devices and standard-value components. Commencing with an introduction to semiconductors and pn-junction theory, all of the most important semiconductor devices in general use today are covered. The operation of each device is carefully explained, and its characteristics and parameters are discussed in detail. Circuit applications are then treated, and the design and analysis of circuits involving each device are investigated. Coverage includes IC operational amplifiers, IC audio amplifiers, and IC voltage regulators. Features include: Explanation of the operation and characteristics of virtually all important electronic devices Explanation of the operation of circuit using each device Practical examples showing dc and ac analysis of each circuit Practical examples showing how to design each circuit Practise problems at end of each section; answers at chapter end Chapter review questions and problems Answers to odd-numbered problems at the back of the book Device data sheets and component standard values in the appendices

    Blends academic precision and practical experience in an authoritative introduction to basic principles of digital design and practical requirements. With over 30 years of experience in both industrial and university settings, the author covers the most widespread logic design practices while building a solid foundation of theoretical and engineering principles for students to use as they go forward in this fast moving field.

    Highlights of the book include realistic problems and examples from a wide range of application areas. New to this edition are: much sharper pedagogy; an increase in the number of examples; more thorough development of the concepts; a greater range of homework problems; a greater number and variety of worked out examples; expanded coverage of dynamics modelling and Laplace transform topics; and integration of MATLAB, including many examples that are formatted in MATLAB.

    The layout of the book covers the following: Laplace transforms, mathematical model

    Written for a senior-level course, this engineering textbook presents the concepts of feedback control system theory as they have been developed in the frequency and time domains, discussing such topics as robust control systems, state variable models, computer control systems, internal model contro

    Readers learn how to create control systems that support today's advanced technology and apply the latest computer methods to the analysis and design of control systems. * A methodology with clearly defined steps is presented for each type of design problem. * Continuous design examples give a realistic view of each stage in the control systems design process. * A complete tutorial on using MATLAB Version 5 in designing control systems prepares readers to use this important software tool.

    The text relates the fundamentals to three real-world examples: Intel's 8085, Motorola's 6800, and the 6502 chip used by Apple Computers. This edition includes a student version of the TASM cross-assembler software program, experiments for Digital Computer Electronics and more.

    The book carefully presents the fundamentals of materials processing along with their relevant applications, so that the reader can clearly assess the capabilities, limitations, and potentials of manufacturing processes and their competitive aspects. Using real-world examples and well-wrought graphics, this book covers a multitude of topics, including the mechanical behavior of materials; the structure and manufacturing properties of metals; surfaces, dimensional characteristics, inspection, and quality assurance; metal-casting processes including heat treatment; bulk deformation processes; sheet-metal forming processes; material removal processes; polymers, reinforced plastics, rapid prototyping and rapid tooling; metal powders, ceramics, glasses, composites, and superconductors; joining and fastening processes; microelectronic and micromechanical devices; automation; computer-integrated systems; and product design. For manufacturing engineers, metallurgists, industrial designers, material handlers, product designers, and quality assurance managers.