ThiS is not only a book of instruction in chainmaking but it is also a work celebrating man's continuous creativity over thousands of years. At times something that man creates has far-reach ing effects; an example that quickly comes to mind is the wheel, which has enabled many devel opments, from pottery to computers. At this point it is important to note that these same wheels could not have been made without metal tools. From early Neolithic times on gold was a favorite choice in the making of jewelry. During the Neolithic period these "shining stones," probably alluvial, were prized. Actually gold was cold worked as if it were a stone. There is a surviving example of cold-worked gold from Catahuyuk (present day Turkey) estimated to have been made in 6500 B. C. There were only four metals on the earth's surface that were found in sufficient quantity to be used: gold, copper, silver, and meteoric iron. An understanding of the malleability of gold, and of the annealing effect of fire, changed jewelry making; new forms were found. Gold was no longer a piece of stone but a material that could be flattened and made very thin. Sheet and foil are the oldest forms of worked gold. The smiths' tools were stone, wood, and horn.

While metal chains can be stunningly simple, they offer endless design options with tremendous variations in styles and forms. This book celebrates the chain as an eye-catching piece of jewelry in and of itself that takes the spotlight without any pendants, bangles, or charms.

Beginners can start with a simple trace design. Switch from round to square wire, adapt the chain to a pendant, or use small oval links for a sophisticated look. Transform trace chains into flat-lying curb chains by twisting each link. Or, try distinctively round loop-in-loop pieces. This range of chains really sparkles and shines. “Highly recommended.”—Library Journal.

For the first time, a textbook that brings together classical predictive control with treatment of up-to-date robust and stochastic techniques. Model Predictive Control describes the development of tractable algorithms for uncertain, stochastic, constrained systems. The starting point is classical predictive control and the appropriate formulation of performance objectives and constraints to provide guarantees of closed-loop stability and performance. Moving on to robust predictive control, the text explains how similar guarantees may be obtained for cases in which the model describing the system dynamics is subject to additive disturbances and parametric uncertainties. Open- and closed-loop optimization are considered and the state of the art in computationally tractable methods based on uncertainty tubes presented for systems with additive model uncertainty. Finally, the tube framework is also applied to model predictive control problems involving hard or probabilistic constraints for the cases of multiplicative and stochastic model uncertainty. The book provides: extensive use of illustrative examples; sample problems; and discussion of novel control applications such as resource allocation for sustainable development and turbine-blade control for maximized power capture with simultaneously reduced risk of turbulence-induced damage. Graduate students pursuing courses in model predictive control or more generally in advanced or process control and senior undergraduates in need of a specialized treatment will find Model Predictive Control an invaluable guide to the state of the art in this important subject. For the instructor it provides an authoritative resource for the construction of courses.

This book addresses decision making in reverse logistics, which concerns the integration of used and obsolete products back into the supply chain as valuable resources. It covers a wide range of aspects, related to distribution, production and inventory management, and supply chain management. For each topic, it highlights key managerial issues in real-life examples and explains which quantitative models are available for addressing them. By treating a broad range of issues in a unified way, the book offers the reader a comprehensive view on the field of reverse logistics.

"Clear step-by-step instructions will lead you through a total of 38 chain styles, all derived from the elegant loop-in-loop process. This edition also includes two dozen additions to the original text by the author."--Amazon.