Gas sensor products are very often the key to innovations in the fields of comfort, security, health, environment, and energy savings. This compendium focuses on what the research community labels as solid state gas sensors, where a gas directly changes the electrical properties of a solid, serving as the primary signal for the transducer. It starts with a visionary approach to how life in future buildings can benefit from the power of gas sensors. The requirements for various applications, such as for example the automotive industry, are then discussed in several chapters. Further contributions highlight current trends in new sensing principles, such as the use of nanomaterials and how to use new sensing principles for innovative applications in e.g. meteorology. So as to bring together the views of all the different groups needed to produce new gas sensing applications, renowned industrial and academic representatives report on their experiences and expectations in research, applications and industrialisation.

Silicon, the leading material in microelectronics during the last four decades, also promises to be the key material in the future. Despite many claims that silicon technology has reached fundamental limits, the performance of silicon microelectronics continues to improve steadily. The same holds for almost all the applications for which Si was considered to be unsuitable. The main exception to this positive trend is the silicon laser, which has not been demonstrated to date. The main reason for this comes from a fundamental limitation related to the indirect nature of the Si band-gap. In the recent past, many different approaches have been taken to achieve this goal: dislocated silicon, extremely pure silicon, silicon nanocrystals, porous silicon, Er doped Si-Ge, SiGe alloys and multiquantum wells, SiGe quantum dots, SiGe quantum cascade structures, shallow impurity centers in silicon and Er doped silicon. All of these are abundantly illustrated in the present book.

This book describes the development of a new low-cost medium wavelength IR (MWIR) monolithic imager technology for high-speed uncooled industrial applications. It takes the baton on the latest technological advances in the field of vapor phase deposition (VPD) PbSe-based MWIR detection accomplished by the industrial partner NIT S.L., adding fundamental knowledge on the investigation of novel VLSI analog and mixed-signal design techniques at circuit and system levels for the development of the readout integrated device attached to the detector. In order to fulfill the operational requirements of VPD PbSe, this work proposes null inter-pixel crosstalk vision sensor architectures based on a digital-only focal plane array (FPA) of configurable pixel sensors. Each digital pixel sensor (DPS) cell is equipped with fast communication modules, self-biasing, offset cancellation, analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and fixed pattern noise (FPN) correction. In-pixel power consumption is minimized by the use of comprehensive MOSFET subthreshold operation.

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 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

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 thesis demonstrates techniques that provide faster and more accurate solutions to a variety of problems in machine learning and signal processing. The author proposes a "greedy" algorithm, deriving sparse solutions with guarantees of optimality. The use of this algorithm removes many of the inaccuracies that occurred with the use of previous models.

This is a guide to the physics and engineering of semiconductor lasers - from basic physics to modern design applications for optical communications and photonic switching. It offers descriptions of bistability, ultrashort optical pulse generation and the two-section laser diode. The text is aimed at engineers and system designers in the fields of communication, switching, measurement systems and information processing. It should also be useful for scientists and engineers studying laser diodes; and for graduate students in electronics and electrical engineering.

Digital holography is an emerging field of new paradigm in general imaging applications. The book presents an introduction to the theoretical and numerical principles and reviews the research and development activities in digital holography, with emphasis on the microscopy techniques and applications. Topics covered include the general theory of diffraction and holography formations, and practical instrumentation and experimentation of digital holography. Various numerical techniques are described that give rise to the unique and versatile capabilities of digital holography. Representative special techniques and applications of digital holography are discussed. The book is intended for researchers interested in developing new techniques and exploring new applications of digital holography.

"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

Epitaxial integration of III-V semiconductors on silicon substrates has been desired over decades for high application potential in microelectronics, photovoltaics, and beyond. The performance of optoelectronic devices is still severely impaired by critical defect mechanisms driven by the crucial polar-on-nonpolar heterointerface. This thesis reports almost lattice-matched growth of thin gallium phosphide films as a viable model system for III-V/Si(100) interface investigations. The impact of antiphase disorder on the heteroepitaxial growth surface provides quantitative optical in situ access to one of the most notorious defect mechanisms, even in the vapor phase ambient common for compound semiconductor technology. Precise control over the surface structure of the Si(100) substrates prior to III-V nucleation prevents the formation of antiphase domains. The hydrogen-based process ambient enables the preparation of anomalous double-layer step structures on Si(100), highly beneficial for subsequent III-V integration.

This book is a collection of essays written by the very scientists and engineers who have led, and continue to lead, the scientific quest known as SETI, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Divided into three parts, the first section, 'The Spirit of SETI Past', written by the surviving pioneers of this then emerging discipline, reviews the major projects undertaken during the first 50 years of SETI science and the results of that research.

In the second section, 'The Spirit of SETI Present', the present-day science and technology is discussed in detail, providing the technical background to contemporary SETI instruments, experiments, and analytical techniques, including the processing of the received signals to extract potential alien communications.

In the third and final section, 'The Spirit of SETI Future', the book looks ahead to the possible directions that SETI will take in the next 50 years, addressing such important topics as interstellar message construction, the risks and assumptions of interstellar communications, when we might make contact, what aliens might look like and what is likely to happen in the aftermath of such a contact.

This book presents the theory of electromagnetic (EM) waves for upper undergraduate, graduate and PhD-level students in engineering. It focuses on physics and microwave theory based on Maxwell's equations and the boundary conditions important for studying the operation of waveguides and resonators in a wide frequency range, namely, from approx. 10**9 to 10**16 hertz. The author also highlights various current topics in EM field theory, such as plasmonic (comprising a noble metal) waveguides and analyses of attenuations by filled waveguide dielectrics or semiconductors and also by conducting waveguide walls. Featuring a wide variety of illustrations, the book presents the calculated and schematic distributions of EM fields and currents in waveguides and resonators. Further, test questions are presented at the end of each chapter.

(Preliminary): The Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) digital transmission technique has several advantages in broadcast and mobile communications applications. The main objective of this book is to give a good insight into these efforts, and provide the reader with a comprehensive overview of the scientific progress which was achieved in the last decade. Besides topics of the physical layer, such as coding, modulation and non-linearities, a special emphasis is put on system aspects and concepts, in particular regarding cellular networks and using multiple antenna techniques. The work extensively addresses challenges of link adaptation, adaptive resource allocation and interference mitigation in such systems. Moreover, the domain of cross-layer design, i.e. the combination of physical layer aspects and issues of higher layers, are considered in detail. These results will facilitate and stimulate further innovation and development in the design of modern communication systems, based on the powerful OFDM transmission technique.

This book is designed to highlight the basic principles of fiber optic imaging and sensing devices. The book provides the readers with a solid foundation in fiber optic imaging and sensing devices. The text begins with an introductory chapter that starts from Maxwell s equations and ends with the derivation of the basic optical fiber characteristic equations and solutions (i.e. fiber modes). Also covered within are reviews of the most common fiber optic interferometric devices which are the basis for many fiber optic imaging and sensing systems. The author discusses the basics of fiber optic imagers with an emphasis on fiber optic confocal microscope. Including chapters on fiber Bragg grating based sensor and various applications and fiber Sagnac loop based sensors. The book also provides useful forms of device characteristic equations.

This volume includes papers presented at IIH-MSP 2017, the 13th International Conference on Intelligent Information Hiding and Multimedia Signal Processing, held from 12 to 15 August 2017 in Matsue, Shimane, Japan. The conference addresses topics ranging from information hiding and security, and multimedia signal processing and networking, to bio-inspired multimedia technologies and systems. This volume of Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies focuses on subjects related to massive image/video compression and transmission for emerging networks, advances in speech and language processing, information hiding and signal processing for audio and speech signals, intelligent distribution systems and applications, recent advances in security and privacy for multimodal network environments, multimedia signal processing, and machine learning. Updated with the latest research outcomes and findings, the papers presented appeal to researchers and students who are interested in the corresponding fields.

This book presents a comprehensive overview of the basics of Hindustani music and the associated signal analysis and technological developments. It begins with an in-depth introduction to musical signal analysis and its current applications, and then moves on to a detailed discussion of the features involved in understanding the musical meaning of the signal in the context of Hindustani music. The components consist of tones, shruti, scales, pitch duration and stability, raga, gharana and musical instruments. The book covers the various technological developments in this field, supplemented with a number of case studies and their analysis. The book offers new music researchers essential insights into the use the automatic concept for finding and testing the musical features for their applications. Intended primarily for postgraduate and PhD students working in the area of scientific research on Hindustani music, as well as other genres where the concepts are applicable, it is also a valuable resource for professionals and researchers in musical signal processing.

This book reports the latest findings on intelligent energy management of Internet data centers in smart-grid environments. The book gathers novel research ideas in Internet data center energy management, especially scenarios with cyber-related vulnerabilities, power outages and carbon emission constraints. The book will be of interest to university researchers, R&D engineers and graduate students in communication and networking areas who wish to learn the core principles, methods, algorithms, and applications of energy management of Internet data centers in smart grids.

The advent of microelectromechanic system (MEMS) technologies and nanotechnologies has resulted in a multitude of structures and devices with ultra compact dimensions and with vastly enhanced or even completely novel properties. In the field of photonics it resulted in the appearance of new paradigms, including photonic crystals that exhibit photonic bandgap and represent an optical analog of semiconductors and metamaterials that have subwavelength features and may have almost arbitrary values of effective refractive index, including those below zero. In addition to that, a whole new field of plasmonics appeared, dedicated to the manipulation with evanescent, surface-bound electromagnetic waves and offering an opportunity to merge nanoelectronics with all-optical circuitry. In the field of infrared technologies MEMS and nanotechnologies ensured the appearance of a new generation of silicon-based thermal detectors with properties vastly surpassing the conventional thermal devices. However, another family of infrared detectors, photonic devices based on narrow-bandgap semiconductors, has traditionally been superior to thermal detectors. Literature about their micro and nanophotonic enhancement has been scarce and scattered through journals. This book offers the first systematic approach to numerous different MEMS and nanotechnology-based methods available for the improvement of photonic infrared detectors and points out to a path towards uncooled operation with the performance of cryogenically cooled devices. It is shown that a vast area for enhancement does exists and that photonic devices can readily keep their leading position in infrared detection. The various methods and approaches described in the book are also directly applicable to different other types of photodetectors like solar cells, often with little or no modification.

This book presents high-performance data transmission over plastic optical fibers (POF) using integrated optical receivers having good properties with multilevel modulation, i.e. a higher sensitivity and higher data rate transmission over a longer plastic optical fiber length. Integrated optical receivers and transmitters with high linearity are introduced for multilevel communication. For binary high-data rate transmission over plastic optical fibers, an innovative receiver containing an equalizer is described leading also to a high performance of a plastic optical fiber link. The cheap standard PMMA SI-POF (step-index plastic optical fiber) has the lowest bandwidth and the highest attenuation among multimode fibers. This small bandwidth limits the maximum data rate which can be transmitted through plastic optical fibers. To overcome the problem of the plastic optical fibers high transmission loss, very sensitive receivers must be used to increase the transmitted length over POF. The plastic optical fiber limited bandwidth problem can be decreased by using multilevel signaling like multilevel pulse amplitude modulation or by using an equalizer for binary data transmission.

Here's the only book to comprehensively address integrated optics from both the theory and practical modeling standpoints -- it reveals crucial design methods that decrease your overall device modeling effort.

This book employs homogeneous coordinate notation to compute the first- and second-order derivative matrices of various optical quantities. It will be one of the important mathematical tools for automatic optical design. The traditional geometrical optics is based on raytracing only. It is very difficult, if possible, to compute the first- and second-order derivatives of a ray and optical path length with respect to system variables, since they are recursive functions. Consequently, current commercial software packages use a finite difference approximation methodology to estimate these derivatives for use in optical design and analysis. Furthermore, previous publications of geometrical optics use vector notation, which is comparatively awkward for computations for non-axially symmetrical systems.

This thesis explores a route to induce and control the structure formation process in thin films by the use of strong electric fields. We investigate, establish and apply the use of the electrohydrodynamic (EHD) lithography as a versatile patterning tool on the sub-micrometre and nanometre length scales for functional materials. Thin films are ubiquitous, they are found in nature and used in almost every aspect of daily life. While film instabilities are often undesirable in nature and technology, they can be utilized to produce structures by precisely controlling the destabilization of the film. EHD lithography utilizes instabilities induced by means of an electric field to fabricate periodic structures. EHD patterning is set to become a competitive candidate for low-cost lithographic technology for a number of applications. Herein, the applied potential of this lithographic process is explored by expanding its applicability to a broad range of materials and by a simultaneous patterning of multilayer systems or functional polymers yielding hierarchical architectures with novel functionalities.
EHD pattern formation enables for instance, the fabrication of multi-scale structured arrays as surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-active platforms. Furthermore, crystalline and conductive polymers are patterned using the EHD approach and the underlying structure formation mechanisms are discussed. This extension towards functional material systems offers interesting prospects for potential applications. Findings of this thesis are very promising for use in optoelectronic devices.

"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.
* Contributions from leading international scholars and industry experts
* Discusses hot topic areas and presents current and future research trends
* Invaluable reference and guide for physicists, engineers and mathematicians

Session 2 includes 110 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. As we all know, the ever growing technology in robotics and automation will help build a better human society. This session will provide a unique opportunity for the academic and industrial communities to address new challenges, share solutions, and discuss research directions for the future. Robotics research emphasizes intelligence and adaptability to cope with unstructured environments. Automation research emphasizes efficiency, productivity, quality, and reliability, focusing on systems that operate autonomously. The main focus of this session is on the autonomous acquisition of semantic information in intelligent robots and systems, as well as the use of semantic knowledge to guide further acquisition of information.