Driven by the need to achieve superior control performances for robots with hyper degrees of freedom, the virtual decomposition control approach is thoroughly presented in this book. This approach uses subsystem (such as links and joints of a complex robot) dynamics to conduct control design, while guaranteeing the stability and convergence of the entire complex robot without compromising the rigorousness of the system analysis. The central concept of this approach is the definition of the virtual stability. The stability of the entire complex robot is mathematically equivalent to the virtual stability of every subsystem. This fact allows us to convert a large problem to a few simple problems with mathematical certainty. This book comprises fourteen chapters. The first five chapters form the foundation of this approach. The remaining nine chapters are relatively independent. Starting from Chapter 6, each chapter deals with a particular type of systems including motor/transmission assemblies, hydraulic robots, coordinated multiple robots, space robots, humanoid robots, adaptive teleoperation, and modular robot manipulators. At the end, the extensions of this approach to distributed-parameter systems and to electrical circuits are given, paving the way for other applications to follow. This book is intended for practitioners, researchers, and graduate students who have acquired fundamental knowledge on robotics and control systems and have been committed to achieving the best control performances on complex robotics systems and beyond.

A mafia-connected billionaire and innocent mafia princess are forced together to fend off their rivals. When the enemies surface, will their shot at love survive? As one of the most powerful men in the world, I will do whatever it takes to keep Katarina safe from our enemies, even if I have to protect the headstrong princess from herself. Katarina flees from the brutality of the criminal underworld, the label of being daughter to the ruthless crime boss, and away from me. Forced together in a dangerous power struggle with the ruthless crime family, neither of us can deny the sheer magnetism of our growing devotion. But our rivals strike back with a vengeance, and things go disastrously wrong. Katarina is forced to fight back with all the instincts of her birthright. The daughter of the brutal kingpin goes head-to-head with our enemies. But will our love survive the rival's vendetta and the stark realities in this ruthless world? Degrees of Control is the explosive third book in the Cruel Deceptions collection by Via Mari. It is a deliciously dark, forced proximity, opposites attract, billionaire mafia romance. You will love this collection where the passion is fiery, loyalty is fierce, and the stakes are high. This story is full of suspenseful twists and turns, leaving you on the edge of your seat one moment and fanning yourself the next. Each novel builds on the next. It is most enjoyable read from beginning to end with a guaranteed HEA in the final book, Degrees of Power.

In astonishing and unflinching detail, a noted science journalist explains how Earth's climate will be impacted with every degree of increase in global warming--and what can be done about it now.

Katarina Meilers is a smart professional design consultant, emotionally scarred by her mother's past and that of her own. She is content with immersion in work until she finds herself enthralled by the deep green eyes and quirky smile of Chase Prestian, one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in the world. Chase is unrelenting in his pursuit and Katarina is defenseless against the palpable magnetism that exists between them. She finds herself plunged into a world of ostentatious wealth, danger, and a journey of sexual exploration that ignites her deepest, darkest desires. When Katarina learns the truth about his past, and her own, she must overcome naivete and a deep-seated mistrust to determine if she can accept the domineering traits of a man whose tendencies for control know no bounds.

Zeelie wonders if they’re in danger. When temperatures soar to 47 degrees one hot summer day, 12-year-old Zeelie hopes the nearby bushfires everyone’s talking about aren’t heading towards her family’s new home. What will they do if the wind changes direction? What about their belongings and their beloved pets? And why hasn’t her mum and brother returned from Melbourne? Nothing can prepare Zeelie for what’s to come.