The papers presented in this book deal with methodological and application problems which arise when models are compared to theories, or when theories are to build models.

An up-to-date account of the theory and practice of generating random variates from probability distributions is presented in this accessible text. After a brief introduction to simulation, the author discusses the general principles for generating and testing uniform and non-uniform variates. These techniques are applied to univariate and multivariate distributions, Markov processes, and order statistics. Dr. Dagpunar has included Fortran 77 programs for generating the more familiar distributions and a set of graphical aids for the manual generation of variates. Competing methods are also compared and their advantages and disadvantages discussed. In addition, algorithms throughout the book enable readers to generate variates from selected distributions, making this an invaluable guide for statisticians, operational researchers, computer scientists, and postgraduates engaged in computer simulation.

The choice of a material for a certain application is made taking into account its properties. If, for example one would like to produce a table, a hard material is needed to guarantee the stability of the product, but the material should not be too hard so that manufacturing is still as easy as possible - in this simple example wood might be the material of choice. When coming to more advanced applications the required properties are becoming more complex and the manufacturer`s desire is to tailor the properties of the material to fit the needs. To let this dream come true, insights into the microstructure of materials is crucial to finally control the properties of the materials because the microstructure determines its properties. Written by leading scientists in the field of microstructural design of engineering materials, this book focuses on the evolution and behavior of granular microstructures of various advanced materials during plastic deformation and treatment at elevated temperatures. These topics provide essential background and practical information for materials scientists, metallurgists and solid state physicists.