Over the past decades, waves of political contention involving the use of information and communication technologies have swept across the globe. The phenomenon stimulates the scholarship on digital communication technologies and contentious collective action to thrive as an exciting, relevant, but highly fragmentary and contested field with disciplinary boundaries. To advance interdisciplinary understanding, Shifting Dynamics of Contention in the Digital Age outlines a communicat...

This book serves as a comprehensive reference resource for current and prospective English language teachers, students of TESOL, academics, and other professionals working within the field of Teaching English as a Second or Other Language (TESOL).As an essential single-volume resource, TESOL: A Guide explores TESOL in three dimensions: as a profession, as a field of study, and as an international association. In doing so, it offers a thorough summary of themes and issue re...

Phthalonitrile Resins and Composites: Properties and Applications summarizes the latest research on these polymers, providing information that enables materials scientists and engineers to deploy these polymers in the real world. The book gives details on synthesis and preparation techniques for key phthalonitrile monomers. All curing techniques are discussed, along with blends and copolymers of phthalonitrile with other polymeric materials, such as epoxy, benzoxazine and bismaleimide. Fib...

This book offers a systematic presentation of persymmetric adaptive detection, including detector derivations and the definition of key concepts, followed by detailed discussion relating to theoretical underpinnings, design methodology, design considerations, and techniques enabling its practical implementation.The received data for modern radar systems are usually multichannel, namely, vector-valued, or even matrix-valued. Multichannel signal detection in Gaussian backgrounds is a...

Stochastic Averaging and Extremum Seeking treats methods inspired by attempts to understand the seemingly non-mathematical question of bacterial chemotaxis and their application in other environments. The text presents significant generalizations on existing stochastic averaging theory developed from scratch and necessitated by the need to avoid violation of previous theoretical assumptions by algorithms which are otherwise effective in treating these systems. Coverage is given to four mai...

Artificial intelligence (AI) is impacting industries worldwide by introducing new methods and altering traditional practices. This book examines AI’s diverse effects, providing insights into its applications, challenges, and future prospects across education, healthcare, finance, and more.The chapters explore how AI technologies, such as large language models, enhance feedback in higher education and influence legal studies while upholding academic integrity. A review of key techni...

Parallel Kinematics- Type, Kinematics, and Optimal Design presents the results of 15 year's research on parallel mechanisms and parallel kinematics machines. This book covers the systematic classification of parallel mechanisms (PMs) as well as providing a large number of mechanical architectures of PMs available for use in practical applications. It focuses on the kinematic design of parallel robots. One successful application of parallel mechanisms in the field of machine tools,...

Formal methods is a field of computer science that emphasizes the use of rigorous mathematical techniques for verification and design of hardware and software systems. Analysis and design of nonlinear control design plays an important role across many disciplines of engineering and applied sciences, ranging from the control of an aircraft engine to the design of genetic circuits in synthetic biology.While linear control is a well-established subject, analysis and design of nonlinea...

This book addresses anti-fatigue manufacturing, analysis and test verification technologies for typical aircraft structures, including fastening holes, shot peening plates, different types of joints and wing boxes. Offering concrete solutions to practical problems in aircraft engineering, it will benefit researchers and engineers in the fields of Aerospace Technology and Astronautics.

This book provides a comprehensive and systematic framework for the design of adaptive architectures, which take advantage of the available a priori information to enhance the detection performance. Moreover, this framework also provides guidelines to develop decision schemes capable of estimating the target position within the range bin. To this end, the readers are driven step-by-step towards those aspects that have to be accounted for at the design stage, starting from the exploitation ...

This book presents dynamic response, vibration characteristics, and nonlinear behavior of complex oil and gas well string by using a combination of theoretical methods, numerical simulation, and experimental analysis. It lays both theoretical and experimental foundation for the design of oil and gas well string parameters. The theoretical methods involved mainly include Hamilton's principle, finite element method, and energy method, while experimental methods involved include similarity pr...

This book adopts a multi-method and multi-phase approach to investigate the washback effects of Test for English Majors (TEM) on program administrators, teachers and students, shedding new light on TEM reform and the reform of English teaching and learning in China. TEM, a nationwide test used to measure the language proficiency of undergraduate English majors in China, is a major standardized test taken by nearly 400,000 students every year. The book’s key features include: an in-depth di...