This volume is a tribute to Professor Dr Da Ruan, who passed away suddenly on July 31, 2011, aged 50. The flood of emails that spread throughout the fuzzy logic research community with the tragic news was testimony to the respect and liking felt for this remarkable man. Da was a hardworking , highly productive scientist who, during his short life, published 35 books and more than 250 research papers in highly ranked journals and conference proceedings. He established two successful conferences, FLINS and ISKE, as well as the international journal, JCIS. This book is a collection of contributions from 88 of Da's academic friends from 47 institutes, presented in 60 chapters and over 70 pictures. A Foreword by Lotfi Zadeh begins Da's story. Section 1 provides an overview of Da's funeral on August 6, 2011. Part II outlines Da’s scientific life, his education, scientific career, publications and keynote talks. Part III presents testimonials by Da's colleagues of academic activities, including guest professorships and his many visits to foreign institutes. Part IV contains thirty contributions from colleagues and friends across the world to describe their collaborative experience with Da. We hope this book will keep the memory of Da alive – great scientist, great friend, great humanitarian. He will remain in our hearts forever.

Evolving technologies in mass production have led to the development of advanced techniques in the field of manufacturing. These technologies can quickly and effectively respond to various market changes, necessitating processes that focus on small batches of multiple products rather than large, single-product lines. Formal Methods in Manufacturing Systems: Recent Advances explores this shifting paradigm through an investigation of contemporary manufacturing techniques and formal methodologies that strive to solve a variety of issues arising from a market environment that increasingly favors flexible systems over traditional ones. This book will be of particular use to industrial engineers and students of the field who require a detailed understanding of current trends and developments in manufacturing tools. This book is part of the Advances in Civil and Industrial Engineering series collection.

Artificial Intelligence in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering offers a unified platform for the dissemination of basic and applied knowledge on the integration of artificial intelligence within the realm of mechanical and industrial engineering. The book covers the tools and information needed to build successful careers and a source of knowledge for those working with AI within these domains. The book offers a systematic approach to explicate fundamentals as well as recent advances. It incorporates various case studies for major topics as well as numerous examples. It will also include real-time intelligent automation and associated supporting methodologies and techniques, and cover decision-support systems, as well as applications of Chaos Theory and Fractals. The book will give scientists, researchers, instructors, students, and practitioners the tools and information needed to build successful careers and to be an impetus to advancements in next-generation mechanical and industrial engineering domains.