BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS OF VIBRATION AND ACOUSTICS IN THERAPY, BIOEFFECTS AND MODELING
Edited by Ahmed Al-Jumaily and Azra Alizad. ASME Press, Three Park Ave., New York, NY 10016-5990. 2008. 350 pages. ASME members, $111; list, $139. ISBN 978-0-7918-0275-5.

The primary objective of this book is to compile the latest research topics on biomedical therapy, bioeffects, and modeling techniques that use vibration and acoustics. There are three parts to the volume. The first one covers therapy, with chapters on the respiratory system, nervous system, and cell culture. The second part explores the bioeffects of vibration and acoustics on human body parts, including the effect of occupational vibration exposure on different parts of the body. Part three demonstrates how the concepts of vibration and acoustics are implemented through modeling of various biological and biomedical systems and elements.

JOHN PENN AND SONS OF GREENWICH
Richard Hartree. Landmark Publishing Ltd. Orders: Richard Hartree, Stables Cottage, Sibford Ferris, Banbury, OX 15 5RE, UK; e-mail: richard@hartree.org.uk. 2008. Softcover. 128 pages. £14.99 + £6.50 shipping. ISBN 9-781-84306-411-4.

In July 2008, ASME designated the 1841 Penn oscillating engine in the paddle steamer Diesbar as a “Historical Mechanical Engineering Landmark.” That occurred in the wake of the publication of this unusual book, written by Richard Hartree. He comes by his interest in the subject rather naturally: His paternal great-great-grandfather married the daughter of the first John Penn and became a partner in the engineering firm that carried his name. Telling the firm’s story created an opportunity for Hartree to combine his interests in industrial and family history. The book tells the story of a three-generation family firm of the Victorian era within its historical context. Founded in 1799 by John Penn I, a millwright from Somerset, it became one of the major engineering firms in the London area. Under John Penn II, it became a leading supplier of marine steam engines, the major supplier of engines to the Royal Navy, and a contributor to the development of steam navigation. The epilogue tells of the family’s contrasting 20th-century role of 60 years’ service in The Royal Household.

DEPENDABLE ENGINES: THE STORY OF PRATT & WHITNEY
Mark P. Sullivan. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 1801 Alexander Bell Dr., Suite 500, Reston, VA 20191-4344. 2008. 182 pages. $29.95. ISBN 978-1-56347-957-1.

The Pratt & Whitney Dependable Engines Eagle rose from humble beginnings in a former cigar tobacco warehouse to become a recognized symbol in aviation and a multinational company that went far beyond its Connecticut roots. Founded in 1925 by Frederick Rentschler and a small group of engineers, the company developed such legendary engines as the Wasp, Hornet, Twin Wasp, and Double Wasp, right on up to today’s F119, F135, and Geared Turbofan engines. The company launched into space with systems such as the RL10 while pioneering fuel cell technology and industrial gas turbines derived from its aircraft engines. Written by a longtime media relations director of the company, this coffee-table book is filled with excellent photos and a chart that describes the use of every engine the company made.

LARGE-SCALE DISASTERS: PREDICTION, CONTROL, AND MITIGATION
Mohamed Gad-el-Hak, Editor. Cambridge University Press, 32 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10013-2473. 2008. 604 pages. $200. ISBN 978-0-521-87293-5.

Large-Scale Disasters explores the application of engineering science to improve mankind’s ability to protect itself from disaster, or repair itself after disaster strikes. Among the subjects it discusses are logistics, numerical weather prediction, space-based monitoring, the use of climate models, and methods for modeling disasters themselves on multiple scales, from molecular to global. Supply chain solutions occupy a chapter. Among its aims is to avoid the waste and confusion that can plague relief efforts, such as the shipment of expired or expiring drugs, gifts of swimsuits and high-heeled shoes after the 2005 tsunami, and delivery of winter coats to the Dominican Republic after Hurricane Georges. One chapter poses a novel way to reduce CO₂ emissions and avert an energy crisis: Saltwater agriculture, the cultivation of plants that thrive in saline conditions, would use seawater to irrigate places of questionable agricultural significance like the Sahara. If further study proves the scheme safe and practical, crops could provide food and, more to the point, biodiesel stock. The result would be a renewable energy source from resources not used now. The book’s editor, who chairs the mechanical engineering department at Virginia Commonwealth University, discussed some of the book’s subjects in an article, “Engineering vs. Disasters,” which appeared in the August issue of this magazine, and in a longer article, “Large-Scale Disasters as Dynamical Systems,” which was published online. Both articles are archived at www.memagazine.org. The fourth chapter of the book raises an intriguing question, posed by Rousseau in a letter to Voltaire: Would an event like the Lisbon earthquake, which killed tens of thousands, qualify as a disaster if it had struck a place where no one lived? The chapter points out some reasonable steps that can be taken to protect people and property from harm. Proper preparation and response can make all the difference.

DESIGN PATTERNS FOR FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING
Dennis Brandl. Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society, 67 Alexander Dr., P.O. Box 12277, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709. 2007. Softcover. 232 pages. ISA members, $89; list, $99.

This book defines a set of design patterns and rules one should know when applying ISA-88 standards to both batch manufacturing (called the S88 design pattern) and continuous and discrete manufacturing (called the NS88 design pattern for nonstop production). The author, who is the chair of the ISA-SP88 committee, developed these patterns and subsequent rules while applying the batch series in several projects. This book defines design patterns for control system programming, providing patterns for the organization of programmable logic controller, digital control system, and other control system application codes. Whether one is in a batch, continuous, or discrete manufacturing environment, these design patterns can be applied to a variety of production systems, making them easier to design and implement, according to the publisher.