Engineering-risk Books

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This book provides a complete treatment of uncertainty and risk as they relate to water pollution issues. Two different approaches are described: a stochastic or probabilistic (like the Monte Carlo simulation) and the fuzzy set theory. The latter is a new approach for the treatment of uncertainty, and provides a rigorous alternative where the former cannot be applied. The author starts with an introduction (Chapter 1) on the role of engineering risk assessment in water pollution problems, followed by environmental risk assessment and management and an objective statement of the book. Then the book is divided into five chapters. Chapter 2 deals with the risk identification problem using probabilistic and fuzzy-based analyses. The risk identification is followed by risk quantification in chapter 3, using a supply-demand formulation based on the moment methods and Monte Carlo simulation. The temporal variability of reliability is also discussed with recommended models. Fuzzy regression analysis is also used to quantify risk. System analysis is also introduced for components in parallel and in series. Chapters 4 and 5 provide information on risk assessment and risk management as they apply to water quality. Risk-based decision analysis is utilized to perform risk management. The concepts of consequences, utility theory and multiobjective decision analysis are also covered. These chapters demonstrate the introduced concepts using example problems in coastal water pollution, river water quality and ground water contamination. The last chapter includes three case studies that deal with the coastal pollution of a gulf in Greece, the water quality of a river located in the same area, and the ground water pollution of an aquifer in Australia. The book also includes a list of references and a subject index. In summary, this book provides a complete treatment of uncertainty and risk analysis as it applies to water pollution. Conequently, due to its originality and completeness, the book can be a valuable tool to engineers, students, educators, and consultants in various areas related to water quality and water pollution.

It is a very clear book, and it has many ilustrations to show the natural hazards in "action".Useful as a reference book for applied Geology.

With a great deal of hype over the dangers of genetically modified organisms - especially in food - Ravetz and Fincham give a brilliantly clear explanation of a difficult and demanding subject. Reading Genetically Engineered Organisms... you can see how horizontal gene transfer is the basis both of the revolution in genetic engineering and also the focus of much of the hysteria (see Mae-Wan Ho's Genetic Engineering for an example of the latter). A book, and a science to marvel at.

I had the opportunity to read the Green Electronics Design and Manufacturing book by Prof Sammy Shina and was impressed by the methods and techniques detailing the practical applications of the green design and manufacturing concepts for both existing & new electronics products as well as the mathematical analysis needed for green conversion in statistics and long term reliability. The book details the tried & true methods to attain immediate results. I find most of the examples and recommendations very easy to understand and follow.

Green manufacturing is not a fad but a necessity these days and there is no better place to start than your own company and your products. Prof Shina shows a very good grasp of the subject & conveys the urgency of its implementation.

It is a right book at the right time for the Electronics Manufacturing Industry and I highly recommend it

Risk communication used to mean one way messages from experts to non-experts. But today's issues are not only technically complex, they are politically charged. Experts are often seen as advocates for a particular position, eroding credibility. There is a better way. This book is the result of the National Research Council's report on "Risk Assessment in the Federal Government: Managing the Process."

I have not yet received this item, and is because of this is impossible to make any book review. I'm waiting to the next delivery of the book.

This is a very practical nuts-and-bolts "How to save the economic world". Macro institutions are neccessary to avoid various prisoner dilemma decision issues.

The UN, World Bank, IMF and a few others attempt to carry this mantle, and they do not really execute, and for the same reason - national interest always overides collective interests.

With regards to environmental issues, Shiller's proposals in this text would be quite good at addressing the current conflicts that exist in formulating an agreement.

In the end, however, the best voting and pricing machine is the market. If we price carbon in the marketplace and limit its release, market prices will reflect all known information about carbon.

This book is certainly one of the most difficult to get your hands on - I was lucky enough to find a copy that had been decommissioned by a Battelle Institute library. The Pergamon series "Collection Futuribles" is a fitting description, although the publisher probably had a different meaning in mind back in 1982...

Lagadec summarises major technological risk, using an interesting style that suffers a little from translation. The book is nevertheless one of the first works to methodically address risk management, technology, and (by now) well-known phenomena occurring in a crisis situation. For the academic researcher, it is a prerequisite to understanding Lagadec's later research on tech. risk and specifics.

The case studies provide interesting insights on many events that we may vaguely remember, and the author does manage to bring them to life in his account of disasters and details, without ever being boring. Having said this, it is not an easy read, and some of the diagrams require detailed technical understanding.

If you ever manage to get hold of a copy - just buy it, it's worth it.

As nanotechnology starts to emerge in the form of products for the marketplace, this book confronts various societal issues about its safety and usage. The contributors are varied. Most notable is Eric Drexler, who, in his seminal work, "Engines of Creation", helped kick off this entire field in 1986. His paper is a summary of the field's development. Well written, but nothing especially striking here.

Another chapter looks at a thorny problem of genetic analysis. As genomics becomes cheaper and more powerful, genetic testing raises issues of privacy versus need to know by others, including employers and insurers. Genetic discrimination has really not yet been significant. But mostly due to a paucity of solid information. The increasing availability of the latter can thus be awkward.

Overall, the book can be used as a non-technical briefing on the field.