This book contains and summarizes research carried out within the DFG Priority Programme 1897: "Calm, Smooth and Smart - Novel Approaches for Influencing Vibrations by Means of Deliberately Introduced Dissipation". The contributions help reduce unwanted vibrations by developing novel approaches for influencing them and lead to a “calm, smooth and smart” behaviour of technical units. “Calm” represents the demand to avoid or at least to severely reduce unwanted noise generated by technical installations. “Smooth” ensures a still comfortable and jerk-free operation of them. Finally, “smart” means that the introduced damping devices not only help to achieve the desired vibrational behaviour of the overall technical systems, but also that they take over additional functional tasks. The results presented in this volume summarize the state-of-the-art and provide motivation for future research. The book is intended for experienced researchers as well as for doctoral and post-doctoral students in engineering, mathematics and physics, as well as industrial researchers interested in the field.

Perfect for expecting parents who want to provide a soothing home for the newest member of their family, The Happiest Baby on the Block, the national bestseller by respected pediatrician and child development expert Dr. Harvey Karp, is a revolutionary method for calming a crying infant and promoting healthy sleep from day one. In perhaps the most important parenting book of the decade, Dr. Harvey Karp reveals an extraordinary treasure sought by parents for centuries --an automatic “off-switch” for their baby’s crying. No wonder pediatricians across the country are praising him and thousands of Los Angeles parents, from working moms to superstars like Madonna and Pierce Brosnan, have turned to him to learn the secrets for making babies happy. Never again will parents have to stand by helpless and frazzled while their poor baby cries and cries. Dr. Karp has found there IS a remedy for colic. “I share with parents techniques known only to the most gifted baby soothers throughout history …and I explain exactly how they work.” In a innovative and thought-provoking reevaluation of early infancy, Dr. Karp blends modern science and ancient wisdom to prove that newborns are not fully ready for the world when they are born. Through his research and experience, he has developed four basic principles that are crucial for understanding babies as well as improving their sleep and soothing their senses: ·The Missing Fourth Trimester: as odd as it may sound, one of the main reasons babies cry is because they are born three months too soon. ·The Calming Reflex: the automatic reset switch to stop crying of any baby in the first few months of life. ·The 5 “S’s”: the simple steps (swaddling, side/stomach position, shushing, swinging and sucking) that trigger the calming reflex. For centuries, parents have tried these methods only to fail because, as with a knee reflex, the calming reflex only works when it is triggered in precisely the right way. Unlike other books that merely list these techniques Dr. Karp teaches parents exactly how to do them, to guide cranky infants to calm and easy babies to serenity in minutes…and help them sleep longer too. ·The Cuddle Cure: the perfect mix the 5 “S’s” that can soothe even the most colicky of infants. In the book, Dr. Karp also explains: What is colic? Why do most babies get much more upset in the evening? How can a parent calm a baby--in mere minutes? Can babies be spoiled? When should a parent of a crying baby call the doctor? How can a parent get their baby to sleep a few hours longer? Even the most loving moms and dads sometimes feel pushed to the breaking point by their infant’s persistent cries. Coming to the rescue, however, Dr. Karp places in the hands of parents, grandparents, and all childcare givers the tools they need to be able to calm their babies almost as easily as…turning off a light. From the Hardcover edition.

This book presents a liber amicorum dedicated to Wolfgang H. Müller, and highlights recent advances in Prof. Müller’s major fields of research: continuum mechanics, generalized mechanics, thermodynamics, mechanochemistry, and geomechanics. Over 50 of Prof. Müller’s friends and colleagues contributed to this book, which commemorates his 60th birthday and was published in recognition of his outstanding contributions.

Critical thinking is a method of thinking that encourages individuals to think for themselves in the pursuit of the reasoned and logical truth about any subject. Elements of critical thinking guide the reasoning process. They include the purpose of your thinking, the information gathered, any predispositions you might have, relevant framing concepts, and the inferences and implications of what's learned. Learning to think critically at work will help you be a better problem solver and judge of information, and a more dynamic contributor and effective communicator. The elements are identifying your purpose, defining the question you need to answer, challenging your predispositions, applying framing concepts, checking inferences, and considering implications. In this book, you are going to learn: · What critical thinking practically is · The different parts of your thought process that comprise critical thinking · The advantages that you gain from exercising critical thinking · How you need to treat your brain so that it is healthy enough to pursue critical thinking · What to do in order to become an accomplished decision maker · Different strategies that you can employ in the critical thinking process · The best sequence of events to follow when engaging in the critical thinking process · The way to make best decisions in some group setup · The best way to frame your questions in order to improve your proficiency in critical thinking Strong critical thinkers are more effective in life. They can approach situations in ways that make more sense and can be defended logically. They are less prone to being caught into behaving in ways that are impulsive or incorrect, and because of that, you must learn to be a critical thinker.