Volume is indexed by Thomson Reuters CPCI-S (WoS). This special collection of 59 peer-reviewed papers covers topics related to the fracture and fatigue of all types of materials and structures, including biological tissues, metals, ceramics, polymers, composites and thin films. This wide range of coverage will make this work of interest to those studying almost any sort of material.

Structural integrity and failure assessment have been considered by many fields of engineers as it is a multi-disciplinary concept. The assessment procedure vitally ensures that structural elements will remain functional throughout their service lives. Structural failure refers to the loss of structural integrity by means of loss at the component- or system-level elements. The main concern of integrity assessment is that a structural failure may be avoided at the service level by designing the structure to withstand its designated loads. Hence, for satisfactory structural performance, structural safety, failure, and interaction between them should be considered throughout the design and analysis stages. This book is a collection of chapters that provide the researcher with a comprehensive perspective on structural integrity and its sub-disciplines.

"The Fundamentals of Structural Integrity and Failure provides a comprehensive review of spent nuclear fuel integrity and the research work which has been carried out in the important area of spent nuclear fuel integrity management. Additionally, the authors review the key aspects of fatigue crack nucleation and the fracture mechanics of short- and long-crack growth, with emphasis on achieving total fatigue life prediction. The fundamental aspects of mathematical modeling, computation, measurement, and signal processing involved in the process of integrity assessment of engineering structures in the presence of uncertainty are presented. Following this, several proposed techniques for the detection of the defects in ferromagnetic steel components are analyzed. One of these possible approaches is based on the additional magnetization of the inspected zone to minimize magnetic heterogeneity, and another trend is concerned with new selective Eddy current probe development. The capabilities of nondestructive testing techniques based on coercive force measurements concerned with several new applications are discussed. This concluding work demonstrates the use of a judicious and effective method for detecting pressure vessel failures, applying Wiener filter concepts to noisy signals"--

This special collection of 59 peer-reviewed papers covers topics related to the fracture and fatigue of all types of materials and structures, including biological tissues, metals, ceramics, polymers, composites and thin films. This wide range of coverage will make this work of interest to those studying almost any sort of material.

"One Report" refers to an emerging trend in business taking place throughout the world where companies are going beyond separate reports for financial and nonfinancial (e.g., corporate social responsibility or sustainability) results and integrating both into a single integrated report. At the same time, they are also leveraging the Internet to provide more detailed results to all of their stakeholders and for improving their level of dialogue and engagement with them. Providing best practice examples from companies around the world, One Report shows how integrated reporting adds tre.

This book deals with the systems of cost reduction that originated in Japan. These are mostly new systems that did not exist in western practices before they were utilized in Japan. The book also presents the Japanese ways of carrying out the globally popular cost reduction practices.(1) It describes the strategic cost management conducted by top management through alliances between companies and/or between government and industry.(2) It shows the functional cost reduction systems along the various phases of the product life cycle, as follows: R&D ? Product development ? Manufacturing ? Administration and indirect operations(3) It conducts some humanistic or behavioral aspects of Japanese cost reduction systems.

Comparing High-Performing Education Systems provides original insights into the educational structures, ideologies, policies, and practices in Singapore, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. Taking as its basis their global reputation and consistently strong performance in formal assessments, the author provides an in-depth analysis and comparison of these three education systems that draws on cutting-edge research. Chapters explore the dominant cultural and educational norms in Singapore, Shanghai, and Hong Kong to give a wider picture of these high-performing education systems. The performance of students in international large-scale assessments such as Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), and Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) is considered, alongside an exploration of attitudes to schooling, tutoring, and assessment. The book shows how Singapore, Shanghai, and Hong Kong exemplify an East Asian Educational Model (EAEM). Such a model – is rooted in and shaped by Confucian habitus: unconscious and ingrained worldviews, dispositions, and habits that reflect the standards of appropriateness in a Confucian Heritage Culture; aspires high performance: a balance between academic excellence and holistic development; and utilises educational harmonisation: the art of bringing together different and contradictory means and ends to achieve desired educational outcomes. Informative and thought-provoking, this book is a useful reference for policymakers, researchers, educators, and general readers on high-performing education systems, school reforms in East Asia, Confucian influences on education, and cross-cultural policy learning and transfer.