The increasingly busy lives of people in modern society cause a high dependence on the transportation sector. Traffic congestion, road maintenance, and a myriad of other problems have led stakeholders to seriously examine alternatives to traditional road traveling. Emerging Challenges and Opportunities of High Speed Rail Development on Business and Society is an authoritative reference source on the promising aspects of high speed railway transportation to supplement road travel. Highlighting empirical research, implementations plans, and future opportunities, this book is ideally designed for government officials, researchers, upper-level students, and technology developers working in the field of transportation.

The rail-based transit system is a popular public transportation option, not just with members of the public but also with policy makers looking to install a form of convenient and rapid travel. Even for moving bulk freight long distances, a rail-based system is the most sustainable transportation system currently available. The Handbook of Research on Emerging Innovations in Rail Transportation Engineering presents the latest research on next-generation public transportation infrastructures. Emphasizing a diverse set of topics related to rail-based transportation such as funding issues, policy design, traffic planning and forecasting, and engineering solutions, this comprehensive publication is an essential resource for transportation planners, engineers, policymakers, and graduate-level engineering students interested in uncovering research-based solutions, recommendations, and examples of modern rail transportation systems.

Healthcare reform in the United States is a significant, strongly debated issue that has been argued since the early 1900s. Though this issue has been in circulation for decades, by integrating various new models and approaches, a more sustainable national healthcare system can perhaps be realized. Evaluating Challenges and Opportunities for Healthcare Reform presents comprehensive coverage of the development of new models of healthcare systems that seek to create sustainable and optimal healthcare by improving quality and decreasing cost. While highlighting topics including high-value care, patient interaction, and sustainable healthcare, this book is ideally designed for government officials, policymakers, lawmakers, scholars, physicians, healthcare leaders, academicians, practitioners, and students and can be used to help all interested stakeholders to make well-informed decisions related to healthcare reform and policy development for the United States and beyond, as well as to help all individuals and families in their decisions related to choices of optimal healthcare plans.

The development of new and effective analytical and numerical models is essential to understanding the performance of a variety of structures. As computational methods continue to advance, so too do their applications in structural performance modeling and analysis. Modeling and Simulation Techniques in Structural Engineering presents emerging research on computational techniques and applications within the field of structural engineering. This timely publication features practical applications as well as new research insights and is ideally designed for use by engineers, IT professionals, researchers, and graduate-level students.

Temporary structures are a vital but often overlooked component in the success of any construction project. With the assistance of modern technology, design and operation procedures in this area have undergone significant enhancements in recent years. Design Solutions and Innovations in Temporary Structures is a comprehensive source of academic research on the latest methods, practices, and analyses for effective and safe temporary structures. Including perspectives on numerous relevant topics, such as safety considerations, quality management, and structural analysis, this book is ideally designed for engineers, professionals, academics, researchers, and practitioners actively involved in the construction industry.

Solid design and craftsmanship are a necessity for structures and infrastructures that must stand up to natural disasters on a regular basis. Continuous research developments in the engineering field are imperative for sustaining buildings against the threat of earthquakes and other natural disasters. Performance-Based Seismic Design of Concrete Structures and Infrastructures is an informative reference source on all the latest trends and emerging data associated with structural design. Highlighting key topics such as seismic assessments, shear wall structures, and infrastructure resilience, this is an ideal resource for all academicians, students, professionals, and researchers that are seeking new knowledge on the best methods and techniques for designing solid structural designs.

Although the technological boom has resulted in many advancements in modern society, it has also come with a few downfalls; most notably, the failure of new machines and equipment. This has prompted engineers to find suitable diagnostics tools to stop impending malfunctions and make working environments more efficient. Recent Advances in Applied Thermal Imaging for Industrial Applications is a critical reference source that outlines innovative analysis tools to combat systems failure in thermal imaging. Highlighting pertinent topics such as fuzzy c- means technique, human health diagnosis system, multidimensional processing, and optical analysis, this is an ideal resource for all engineers, practitioners, industry leaders, and researchers who are interested in staying up-to-date with advances in thermal imaging which prevents industrial system malfunctions.

While modern cities continue to grow and become more efficient in many sectors as their population increases, public transportation has not yet caught up. As a significant industry in contemporary society, further progress in transportation systems is more vital than ever. Engineering Tools and Solutions for Sustainable Transportation Planning is an informative reference source that outlines why current transportation systems have become inefficient in modern societies, and offers solutions for the improvement of transportation infrastructures. Highlighting key topics such as parking organization, car ownership, energy consumption, and highway performance, this is a detailed resource for all practitioners, academics, graduate students, and researchers that are interested in studying the latest trends and developments in the transportation sector.

The Discrete Element Method (DEM) has emerged as a solution to predicting load capacities of masonry structures. As one of many numerical methods and computational solutions being applied to evaluate masonry structures, further research on DEM tools and methodologies is essential for further advancement. Computational Modeling of Masonry Structures Using the Discrete Element Method explores the latest digital solutions for the analysis and modeling of brick, stone, concrete, granite, limestone, and glass block structures. Focusing on critical research on mathematical and computational methods for masonry analysis, this publication is a pivotal reference source for scholars, engineers, consultants, and graduate-level engineering students.

Over the past decade, China has built 25,000 km of dedicated highspeed railway—more than the rest of the world combined. What can we learn from this remarkable experience? China’s High-Speed Rail Development examines the Chinese experience to draw lessons for countries considering investing in high-speed rail. The report scrutinizes the planning and delivery mechanisms that enabled the rapid construction of the high-speed rail system. It highlights the role of long-term planning, consistent plan execution, and a joint venture structure that ensures active participation of provincial and local governments in project planning and financing. Traffic on China’s high-speed trains has grown to 1.7 billion passengers a year. The study examines the characteristics of the markets for which high-speed rail is competitive in China. It discusses the pricing and service design considerations that go into making high-speed rail services competitive with other modes and factors such as good urban connectivity that make the service attractive to customers. One of the most remarkable aspects of the Chinese experience is the rapid pace of high-quality construction. The report looks at the role of strong capacity development within and cooperation among China Railway Corporation, rail manufacturers, universities, research institutions, laboratories, and engineering centers that allowed for rapid technological advancement and localization of technology. It describes the project delivery structures and incentives for delivering quality and timely results. Finally, the report analyzes the financial and economic sustainability of the investment in high-speed rail. It finds that a developing country can price high-speed rail services affordably and still achieve financial viability, but this requires very high passenger density. Economic viability similarly depends on high passenger density.