This special volume of "Advances in Imaging and Electron Physics "details the current theory, experiments, and applications of neutron and x-ray optics and microscopy for an international readership across varying backgrounds and disciplines. Edited by Dr. Ted Cremer, these volumes attempt to provide rapid assimilation of the presented topics that include neutron and x-ray scatter, refraction, diffraction, and reflection and their potential application.
Key features:

* Contributions from leading authorities * Informs and updates on all the latest developments in the field

The book has focussed on the different aspects of sensing technology, i.e. high reliability, adaptability, recalibration, information processing, data fusion, validation and integration of novel and high performance sensors specifically aims to use to inspect mechanical health of structure and similar applications. This book is dedicated to Sensing systems for Structural Health Monitoring offers to variety of users, namely, Master and PhD degree students, researchers, practitioners, especially Civil and Construction engineers. The book will provide an opportunity of a dedicated and a deep approach in order to improve their knowledge in this specific field.

This text introduces the basic concepts of function spaces and operators, both from the continuous and discrete viewpoints. Fourier and Window Fourier Transforms are introduced and used as a guide to arrive at the concept of Wavelet transform. The fundamental aspects of multiresolution representation, and its importance to function discretization and to the construction of wavelets is also discussed. Emphasis is given on ideas and intuition, avoiding the heavy computations which are usually involved in the study of wavelets. Readers should have a basic knowledge of linear algebra, calculus, and some familiarity with complex analysis. Basic knowledge of signal and image processing is desirable. This text originated from a set of notes in Portuguese that the authors wrote for a wavelet course on the Brazilian Mathematical Colloquium in 1997 at IMPA, Rio de Janeiro.

This book examines paintings using a computational and quantitative approach. Specifically, it compares paintings to photographs, addressing the strengths and limitations of both. Particular aesthetic practices are examined such as the vista, foreground to background organisation and the depth planes. These are analysed using a range of computational approaches and clear observations are made. New generations of image-capture devices such as Google goggles and the light field camera, promise a future in which the formal attributes of a photograph are made available for editing to a degree that has hitherto been the exclusive territory of painting. In this sense paintings and photographs are converging, and it therefore seems an opportune time to study the comparisons between them. In this context, the book includes cutting-edge work examining how some of the aesthetic attributes of a painting can be transferred to a photograph using the latest computational approaches.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the theoretical concepts and experimental applications of planar waveguides and other confined geometries, such as optical fibres. Covering a broad array of advanced topics, it begins with a sophisticated discussion of planar waveguide theory, and covers subjects including efficient production of planar waveguides, materials selection, nonlinear effects, and applications including species analytics down to single-molecule identification, and thermo-optical switching using planar waveguides. Written by specialists in the techniques and applications covered, this book will be a useful resource for advanced graduate students and researchers studying planar waveguides and optical fibers.

"Advances in Imaging and Electron Physics "merges two long-running serials--"Advances in Electronics and Electron Physics" and "Advances in Optical and Electron Microscopy."

This series features extended articles on the physics of electron devices (especially semiconductor devices), particle optics at high and low energies, microlithography, image science and digital image processing, electromagnetic wave propagation, electron microscopy, and the computing methods used in all these domains.
Key features:

* Contributions from leading authorities * Informs and updates on all the latest developments in the field

Optical biomimetics, the study of natural systems to inspire novel solutions to problems in optical technologies, has attracted growing interest. Optical biomimetics reviews key research in this area, focusing on the techniques and approaches used to characterise and mimic naturally occurring optical effects.
Beginning with an overview of natural photonic structures, Optical biomimetics goes on to discuss optical applications of biomolecules, such as retinylidene and bacteriorhodopsin, polarisation effects in natural photonic structures and their applications, and biomimetic nanostructures for anti-reflection (AR) devices. Control of iridescence in natural photonic structures is explored through the case of butterfly scales, alongside a consideration of nanostructure fabrication using natural synthesis. The investigation into silk optical materials is followed by a final discussion of the control of florescence in natural photonic structures.
With its distinguished editor and international team of expert contributors, Optical biomimetics is a valuable guide for scientists and engineers in both academia and industry who are already studying biomimetics, and a fascinating introduction for those who wish to move into this interesting new field.
Reviews key research in optical biomimetics, focusing on the techniques and approaches used to characterise and mimic naturally-occurring optical effectsDiscusses optical applications of biomolecules, such as retinylidene and bacteriorhodopsinExplores the control of iridescence in natural photonic structures through the case of butterfly scales

This book is focused on the Internet of Things (IoT) services and smart environments that can be of assistance to the elderly and individuals living with dementia or some sensory impairment. The book outlines the requirements of the systems that aim to furnish some digital sensory or cognitive assistance to the individuals and their caregivers. Internet of Things and Smart Environments: Assistive Technologies for Disability, Dementia, and Aging covers the important evolutions of the IoT, the sensors, actuators, wireless communication and pervasive computing systems, and other enabling technologies that power up this megatrend infrastructure. The use of the IoT-based systems in improving the conventional assistive technologies and provisions of ambient assisted living are also covered. The book takes an impartial, and yet holistic, view to providing research insights and inspirations for more development works in the areas related to assistive IoT. It will show the potentials of using normally available interactive devices, like smartphones or smart TVs, which can be supplemented with low-cost gadgets or apps to provide assistive capabilities. It aims to accentuate the need for taking a comprehensive and combinatory view of the comprising topics and approaches that are based on the visions and ideas from all stakeholders. The book will examine these points and considerations to conclude with recommendations for future development works and research directions. This book can be of value to a diverse array of audience. The researchers and developers in healthcare and medicine, aged care and disability services, as well as those working in the IoT-related fields, may find many parts of this book useful and stimulating. It can be of great value to postgraduate and research students working in these areas. It can also be adapted for use in upper-level classroom courses relevant to communication and smart technologies, IoT applications, and assistive technologies. Many parts of the book can be of interest to the elderly and individuals living with a disability, as well as their families and caregivers. From an industry perspective, it can be of interest to software, hardware, and particularly app developers working on the IoT applications, smart homes and environments, and assistive technologies for the elderly and people living with disability or dementia.

Written by leading optical phase microscopy experts, this book is a comprehensive reference to phase microscopy and nanoscopy techniques for biomedical applications, including differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy, phase contrast microscopy, digital holographic microscopy, optical coherence tomography, tomographic phase microscopy, spectral-domain phase detection, and nanoparticle usage for phase nanoscopy

The Editors show biomedical and optical engineers how to use phase microscopy for visualizing unstained specimens, and support the theoretical coverage with applied content and examples on designing systems and interpreting results in bio- and nanoscience applications.
Provides a comprehensive overview of the principles and techniques of optical phase microscopy and nanoscopy with biomedical applications.

Tips/advice on building systems and working with advanced imaging biomedical techniques, including interpretation of phase images, and techniques for quantitative analysis based on phase microscopy.

Interdisciplinary approach that combines optical engineering, nanotechnology, biology and medical aspects of this topic. Each chapterincludes practical implementations and worked examples. "

This book looks at the increasing interest in running microscopy processing algorithms on big image data by presenting the theoretical and architectural underpinnings of a web image processing pipeline (WIPP). Software-based methods and infrastructure components for processing big data microscopy experiments are presented to demonstrate how information processing of repetitive, laborious and tedious analysis can be automated with a user-friendly system. Interactions of web system components and their impact on computational scalability, provenance information gathering, interactive display, and computing are explained in a top-down presentation of technical details. Web Microanalysis of Big Image Data includes descriptions of WIPP functionalities, use cases, and components of the web software system (web server and client architecture, algorithms, and hardware-software dependencies). The book comes with test image collections and a web software system to increase the reader's understanding and to provide practical tools for conducting big image experiments. By providing educational materials and software tools at the intersection of microscopy image analyses and computational science, graduate students, postdoctoral students, and scientists will benefit from the practical experiences, as well as theoretical insights. Furthermore, the book provides software and test data, empowering students and scientists with tools to make discoveries with higher statistical significance. Once they become familiar with the web image processing components, they can extend and re-purpose the existing software to new types of analyses. Each chapter follows a top-down presentation, starting with a short introduction and a classification of related methods. Next, a description of the specific method used in accompanying software is presented. For several topics, examples of how the specific method is applied to a dataset (parameters, RAM requirements, CPU efficiency) are shown. Some tips are provided as practical suggestions to improve accuracy or computational performance.

"Advanced Remote Sensing" is an application-based reference that provides a single source of mathematical concepts necessary for remote sensing data gathering and assimilation. It presents state-of-the-art techniques for estimating land surface variables from a variety of data types, including optical sensors such as RADAR and LIDAR. Scientists in a number of different fields including geography, geology, atmospheric science, environmental science, planetary science and ecology will have access to critically-important data extraction techniques and their virtually unlimited applications. While rigorous enough for the most experienced of scientists, the techniques are well designed and integrated, making the book s content intuitive, clearly presented, and practical in its implementation.

* Comprehensive overview of various practical methods and algorithms * Detailed description of the principles and procedures of the state-of-the-art algorithms * Real-world case studies open several chapters * More than 500 full-color figures and tables * Edited by top remote sensing experts with contributions from authors across the geosciences"

Novel Optical Technologies for Nanofabrication describes recent advances made in micro/nanofabrication with super-resolution laser technologies, which are based on the latest research findings in the authors' groups. It focuses on new techniques and methods as well as applications and development trends in laser nanofabrication, including super-resolution laser direct writing, surface structures composed of laser path-guided wrinkle, three-dimensional laser nanofabrication based on two-photon absorption, and nanofabrication by laser interference and surface plasmon polaritons. This book serves as a reference for academic researchers, engineers, technical professionals and graduate students in the fields of micro/nanotechnology, thin film materials, super-resolution optics and laser techniques. Qian Liu is a Professor at Laboratory for Nanodevice, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, China. Xuanming Duan is a Professor at the Key Laboratory of Functional Crystals and Laser Technology, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Changsi Peng is a Professor at the Institute of Information Optical Engineering, Soochow University, China.

Session 1 includes 109 papers selected from 2011 3rd International Asia Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics (CAR 2011), held on December 24-25, 2011, Shenzhen, China. This session will act as an international forum for researchers and practitioners interested in the advances in and applications of Intelligent Control Systems. It is an opportunity to present and observe the latest research, results, and ideas in these areas. Intelligent control is a rapidly developing, complex, and challenging field of increasing practical importance and still greater potential. Its applications have a solid core in robotics and mechatronics but branch out into areas as diverse as process control, automotive industry, medical equipment, renewable energy and air conditioning. So, this session will aim to strengthen relationships between industry, research laboratories and universities. All papers published in session 1 will be peer evaluated by at least two conference reviewers. Acceptance will be based primarily on originality and contribution.

This book addresses the fundamental theory and key technologies of narrowband and broadband mobile communication systems specifically for railways. It describes novel relaying schemes that meet the different design criteria for railways and discusses the applications of signal classification techniques as well as offline resource scheduling as a way of advancing rail practice. Further, it introduces Novel Long Term Evolution for Railway (LTE-R) network architecture, the Quality of Service (QoS) requirement of LTE-R and its performance evaluation and discusses in detail security technologies for rail-dedicated mobile communication systems. The advanced research findings presented in the book are all based on high-speed railway measurement data, which offer insights into the propagation mechanisms and corresponding modeling theory and approaches in unique railway scenarios.It is a valuable resource for researchers, engineers and graduate students in the fields of rail traffic systems, telecommunication and information systems.

For those involved with the design and analysis of electro-optical systems, the book outlines current and future ground, air and spacebourne applications of electro-optical systems. It describes their performance requirements and practical methods of achieving design objectives.

This thesis presents the fundamental research and latest findings on novel flexible/wearable photovoltaic technology, and comprehensively summarizes the rapid developments in flexible photovoltaics, from traditional planar solar cells to fiber solar cells. It discusses the rational design of fiber solar cell materials, electrodes and devices, as well as critical factors including cost, efficiency, flexibility and stability . Furthermore, it addresses fundamental theoretical principles and novel fabrication technologies and their potential applications. The book provides practical information for university researchers and graduate students interested in flexible fiber photovoltaics, and inspires them to design other novel flexible/wearable electronics and textiles.

The need of video compression in the modern age of visual communication cannot be over-emphasized. This monograph will provide useful information to the postgraduate students and researchers who wish to work in the domain of VLSI design for video processing applications. In this book, one can find an in-depth discussion of several motion estimation algorithms and their VLSI implementation as conceived and developed by the authors. It records an account of research done involving fast three step search, successive elimination, one-bit transformation and its effective combination with diamond search and dynamic pixel truncation techniques. Two appendices provide a number of instances of proof of concept through Matlab and Verilog program segments. In this aspect, the book can be considered as first of its kind. The architectures have been developed with an eye to their applicability in everyday low-power handheld appliances including video camcorders and smartphones.

This book reviews recent advances in the synthesis, characterization, and physico-chemical properties of anisotropic nanomaterials. It highlights various emerging applications of nanomaterials, including sensing and imaging, (bio)medical applications, environmental protection, plasmonics, catalysis, and energy. It provides an excellent and comprehensive overview of the effect that morphology and nanometric dimension has on the physico-chemical properties of various materials and how this leads to novel applications.

Recent advancements in the field of telecommunications, medical imaging and signal processing deal with signals that are inherently time varying, nonlinear and complex-valued. The time varying, nonlinear characteristics of these signals can be effectively analyzed using artificial neural networks. Furthermore, to efficiently preserve the physical characteristics of these complex-valued signals, it is important to develop complex-valued neural networks and derive their learning algorithms to represent these signals at every step of the learning process. This monograph comprises a collection of new supervised learning algorithms along with novel architectures for complex-valued neural networks. The concepts of meta-cognition equipped with a self-regulated learning have been known to be the best human learning strategy. In this monograph, the principles of meta-cognition have been introduced for complex-valued neural networks in both the batch and sequential learning modes. For applications where the computation time of the training process is critical, a fast learning complex-valued neural network called as a fully complex-valued relaxation network along with its learning algorithm has been presented. The presence of orthogonal decision boundaries helps complex-valued neural networks to outperform real-valued networks in performing classification tasks. This aspect has been highlighted. The performances of various complex-valued neural networks are evaluated on a set of benchmark and real-world function approximation and real-valued classification problems.

This monograph provides an introductory discussion of evanescent waves and plasmons, describes their properties and uses, and shows how they are fundamental when operating with nanoscale optics. Far field optics is not suitable for the design, description, and operation of devices at this nanometre scale. Instead one must work with models based on near-field optics and surface evanescent waves. The new discipline of plasmonics has grown to encompass the generation and application of plasmons both as a travelling excitation in a nanostructure and as a stationary enhancement of the electrical field near metal nanosurfaces. The book begins with a brief review of the basic concepts of electromagnetism, then introduces evanescent waves through reflection and refraction, and shows how they appear in diffraction problems, before discussing the role that they play in optical waveguides and sensors. The application of evanescent waves in super-resolution devices is briefly presented, before plasmons are introduced. The surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) are then treated, highlighting their potential applications also in ultra-compact circuitry. The book concludes with a discussion of the quantization of evanescent waves and quantum information processing. The book is intended for students and researchers who wish to enter the field or to have some insight into the matter. It is not a textbook but simply an introduction to more complete and in-depth discussions. The field of plasmonics has exploded in the last ten years, and most of the material treated in this book is scattered in original or review papers. A short comprehensive treatment is missing; this book is intended to provide just that.

This book is a collection of selected peer-reviewed papers presented at the International Conference on Signal Processing and Communication (ICSC 2018). It covers current research and developments in the fields of communications, signal processing, VLSI circuits and systems, and embedded systems. The book offers in-depth discussions and analyses of latest problems across different sub-fields of signal processing and communications. The contents of this book will prove to be useful for students, researchers, and professionals working in electronics and electrical engineering, as well as other allied fields.

This book presents recent advances, new ideas and novel techniques related to the field of nonlinear dynamics, including localized pattern formation, self-organization and chaos. Various natural systems ranging from nonlinear optics to mechanics, fluids and magnetic are considered. The aim of this book is to gather specialists from these various fields of research to promote cross-fertilization and transfer of knowledge between these active research areas. In particular, nonlinear optics and laser physics constitute an important part in this issue due to the potential applications for all-optical control of light, optical storage, and information processing. Other possible applications include the generation of ultra-short pulses using all-fiber cavities.

This book deals with the optimization-based joint design of the transmit and receive filters in MIMO broadcast channel in which the user terminals may be equipped with several antenna elements. Furthermore, the maximum performance of the system in the high power regime as well as the set of all feasible quality-of-service requirements is analyzed. First, a fundamental duality is derived that holds between the MIMO broadcast channel and virtual MIMO multiple access channel. This duality construct allows for the efficient solution of problems originally posed in the broadcast channel in the dual domain where a possibly hidden convexity can often be revealed. On the basis of the established duality result, the gradient-projection algorithm is introduced as a tool to solve constrained optimization problems to global optimality under certain conditions. The gradient-projection tool is then applied to solving the weighted sum rate maximization problem which is a central optimization that arises in any network utility maximization. In the high power regime, a simple characterization of the obtained performance becomes possible due to the fact that the weighted sum rate utility converges to an affine asymptote in the logarithmic power domain. We find closed form expressions for these asymptotes which allows for a quantification of the asymptotic rate loss that linear transceivers have to face with respect to dirty paper coding. In the last part, we answer the fundamental question of feasibility in quality-of-service based optimizations with inelastic traffic that features strict delay constraints. Under the assumption of linear transceivers, not every set of quality-of-service requirements might be feasible making the power minimization problem with given lower bound constraints on the rate for example infeasible in these cases. We derive a complete description of the quality-of-service feasibility region for arbitrary channel matrices.

This book lies at the interface of machine learning - a subfield of computer science that develops algorithms for challenging tasks such as shape or image recognition, where traditional algorithms fail - and photonics - the physical science of light, which underlies many of the optical communications technologies used in our information society. It provides a thorough introduction to reservoir computing and field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). Recently, photonic implementations of reservoir computing (a machine learning algorithm based on artificial neural networks) have made a breakthrough in optical computing possible. In this book, the author pushes the performance of these systems significantly beyond what was achieved before. By interfacing a photonic reservoir computer with a high-speed electronic device (an FPGA), the author successfully interacts with the reservoir computer in real time, allowing him to considerably expand its capabilities and range of possible applications. Furthermore, the author draws on his expertise in machine learning and FPGA programming to make progress on a very different problem, namely the real-time image analysis of optical coherence tomography for atherosclerotic arteries.