This book discusses opportunities for broadcasters that arise with the advent of broadband networks, both fixed and mobile. It discusses how the traditional way of distributing audio-visual content over broadcasting networks has been complemented by the usage of broadband networks. The author shows how this also gives the possibility to offer new types of interactive or so-called nonlinear services. The book illustrates how change in distribution technology is accelerating the need for broadcasters around the world to adapt their content distribution strategy and how it will impact the portfolios of content they offer.

The book presents laboratory experiments concerning ARM microcontrollers, and discusses the architecture of the Tiva Cortex-M4 ARM microcontrollers from Texas Instruments, describing various ways of programming them. Given the meager peripherals and sensors available on the kit, the authors describe the design of Padma - a circuit board with a large set of peripherals and sensors that connects to the Tiva Launchpad and exploits the Tiva microcontroller family's on-chip features. ARM microcontrollers, which are classified as 32-bit devices, are currently the most popular of all microcontrollers. They cover a wide range of applications that extend from traditional 8-bit devices to 32-bit devices. Of the various ARM subfamilies, Cortex-M4 is a middle-level microcontroller that lends itself well to data acquisition and control as well as digital signal manipulation applications. Given the prominence of ARM microcontrollers, it is important that they should be incorporated in academic curriculums. However, there is a lack of up-to-date teaching material - textbooks and comprehensive laboratory manuals. In this book each of the microcontroller's resources - digital input and output, timers and counters, serial communication channels, analog-to-digital conversion, interrupt structure and power management features - are addressed in a set of more than 70 experiments to help teach a full semester course on these microcontrollers. Beyond these physical interfacing exercises, it describes an inexpensive BoB (break out board) that allows students to learn how to design and build standalone projects, as well a number of illustrative projects.

This book investigates and discusses the hardware design and implementation to achieve smart air interfaces with a reduced number of Radio Frequency (RF) transmitter and receiver chains, or even with a single reconfigurable RF-Frontend in the user terminal. Various hardware challenges are identified and addressed to enable the implementation of autonomous reconfigurable RF-Frontend architectures. Such challenges are (i) the conception of a transceiver with wide tuning range of at least up to 6 GHz, (ii) the system integration of reconfigurable technologies targeting current compact devices that demand voltages up to 100 V for adaptive controlling and (iii) the realization of a multiband and multistandard antenna module employing agile components to provide flexible frequency coverage. A solid design of a reconfigurable frontend is proposed from the RF part to the digital baseband. The system integration of different components in the reconfigurable RF-Frontend of a portable-oriented device architecture is demonstrated.

The 6th International Conference on Laser Probing (LAP2012) had been held in Paris at the Institut Henri Poincare. It highlighted the state of the art in Laser Probing and reinforced the common ground and synergies among the different actors in the field. The Institut de Physique Nucleaire d Orsay and the Grand Accelerateur National d Ions Lourds in Caen had been in charge of the organization of this event, co-sponsored by the Institut National de Physique Nucleaire et de Physique des Particules (IN2P3) and the Laboratory Physique des 2 Infinis et des Origines (P2IO).
Previously published as special issue of Hyperfine Interactions, vol. 216, 1-3."

This detailed volume presents a number of chapters that will aid researchers in jumping the hurdle preventing the popularization of advanced intravital imaging technology usage, namely the complicated experimental protocols. Leading researchers undertaking imaging studies in the field of bone and immune systems have contributed the chapters that aim to guide readers through these complex methodologies. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Intravital Imaging of Dynamic Bone and Immune Systems: Methods and Protocols will serve as an idea guide for general readers in order to establish and perform these experiments by their own.

Computational Intelligence in Biomedical Imaging is a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art computational intelligence research and technologies in biomedical images with emphasis on biomedical decision making. Biomedical imaging offers useful information on patients' medical conditions and clues to causes of their symptoms and diseases. Biomedical images, however, provide a large number of images which physicians must interpret. Therefore, computer aids are demanded and become indispensable in physicians' decision making. This book discusses major technical advancements and research findings in the field of computational intelligence in biomedical imaging, for example, computational intelligence in computer-aided diagnosis for breast cancer, prostate cancer, and brain disease, in lung function analysis, and in radiation therapy. The book examines technologies and studies that have reached the practical level, and those technologies that are becoming available in clinical practices in hospitals rapidly such as computational intelligence in computer-aided diagnosis, biological image analysis, and computer-aided surgery and therapy.

This book discusses the challenges in the convergence of technologies as the Internet of Things (IoT) evolves. These include sensing, computing, information processing, networking, and controlling intelligent technologies. The contributors first provide a survey of various assessment and evaluation approaches available for successful convergence. They then go on to cover several operational ideas to apply. The contributors then discuss the challenges involved bridging gaps in computation and the communication process, hidden networks, intelligent decision making, human-to-machine perception and large-scale IoT environments. The contributors aim to provide the reader an overview of trends in IoT in terms of performability and traffic modeling and efforts that can be spent in assessing the graceful degradation in IoT paradigms. Provides a survey of IoT assessment and evaluation approaches; Covers new and innovative operational ideas that apply to the IoT industry and the industries it affects; Includes chapters from researchers and industry leaders in IoT from around the world.

This book is useful both for those who want to get initial information on the measurement of the antenna parameters, and for specialists directly involved in the experimental determination of the antenna parameters from the results of measuring the amplitude-phase distribution in the near zone of the antennas. Currently, the near-field method is the most common one for antenna measurements. In most books, an academic approach is given to the issue under consideration and it is difficult to use them for the direct organization of measurements. In many others, specific narrow issues are considered that are accessible to understanding only by highly qualified engineers/readers. The purpose of this book is to get rid of the above disadvantages by offering the reader a more accessible exposition and formulas by which appropriate computer programs can be written with minimal effort. The contents of this book allow interested specialists to be not only users of the near-field measuring facilities, but also help in understanding the principles of their work. This book is intended for engineers and specialists whose activities are related to experimental testing of radio characteristics of complex antenna systems, especially near-field measurements, and is also useful as a textbook for senior students in the field of "radioelectronics" and "radiophysics."

Focusing on connection technologies used for both single-mode and multimode fibers, this book explains multifiber connections such as mass-fusion splice and multifiber connectors. Information on fluoride glass fibers, doped fibers (EDFA), and components is included.

This book provides an insight into recent technological trends and innovations in mobility solutions and platforms to improve mobility of visually impaired people. The authors' goal is to help to contribute to the social and societal inclusion of the visually impaired. The book's topics include, but are not limited to, obstacle detection systems, indoor and outdoor navigation, transportation sustainability systems, and hardware/devices to aid visually impaired people. The book has a strong focus on practical applications, tested in a real environment. Applications include city halls, municipalities, and companies that can keep up to date with recent trends in platforms, methodologies and technologies to promote urban mobility. Also discussed are broader realms including education, health, electronics, tourism, and transportation. Contributors include a variety of researchers and practitioners around the world. Features practical, tested applications of technological mobility solutions for visual impaired people; Presents topics such as obstacle detection systems, urban mobility, smart home services, and ambient assisted living; Includes a number of application examples in education, health, electronics, tourism, and transportation.

This book comprises select peer-reviewed papers from the International Conference on VLSI, Communication and Signal processing (VCAS) 2019, held at Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT) Allahabad, Prayagraj, India. The contents focus on latest research in different domains of electronics and communication engineering, in particular microelectronics and VLSI design, communication systems and networks, and signal and image processing. The book also discusses the emerging applications of novel tools and techniques in image, video and multimedia signal processing. This book will be useful to students, researchers and professionals working in the electronics and communication domain.

The proceedings includes cutting-edge research articles from the Fourth International Conference on Signal and Image Processing (ICSIP), which is organised by Dr. N.G.P. Institute of Technology, Kalapatti, Coimbatore. The Conference provides academia and industry to discuss and present the latest technological advances and research results in the fields of theoretical, experimental, and application of signal, image and video processing. The book provides latest and most informative content from engineers and scientists in signal, image and video processing from around the world, which will benefit the future research community to work in a more cohesive and collaborative way.

This thesis combines advanced femtosecond laser micro/nanofabrication technologies and frontier bionic design principles to prepare diverse biomimetic micro/nanostructures to realize their functions. By studying the formation mechanism of the micro/nanostructures, the author identifies various artificial structural colors, three-dimensional micro/nanocage arrays, and fish-scale inspired microcone arrays in different processing environments. Multiple functions such as enhanced antireflection, hydrophobicity, and underwater superoleophobicity are achieved by precisely adjusting laser-machining parameters. This novel design and method have extensive potential applications in the context of new colorizing technologies, microfluidics, microsensors, and biomedicine.

This thesis focuses on the fundamental problem of characterising partially coherent beams. The book describes several non-interferometric methods based on phase-space tomography for recovering the spatial coherence information of optical beams. In the context of optical beams, partially coherent light provides numerous advantages over coherent light. From microscopy to optical communications, there are many disciplines that benefit from using partially coherent beams. However, their range of applications currently remains limited due to the complexity of extracting information. In addition to providing a feasible experimental solution for the general case, the book explores several situations in which beam symmetries are exploited to simplify the information extraction process. Each characterisation method is accompanied by a corresponding theoretical explanation and a thorough description of experimental examples.

This book highlights the growing applications of THz technology and various modules used for their successful realization. The enormous advantages of THz devices like higher resolution, spatial directivity, high-speed communication, greater bandwidth, non-ionizing signal nature and compactness make them useful in various applications like communication, sensing, security, safety, spectroscopy, manufacturing, bio-medical, agriculture, imaging, etc. Since the THz radiation covers frequencies from 0.1THz to around 10THz and highly attenuated by atmospheric gases, they are used in short-distance applications only. The book focuses on recent advances and different research issues in terahertz technology and presents theoretical, methodological, well-established and validated empirical works dealing with the different topics.

Presenting a blend of applied and fundamental research in highly interdisciplinary subjects of rapidly developing areas, this book contains contributions on the frontiers and hot topics of laser physics, laser technology and laser engineering, and covers a wide range of laser topics, from all-optical signal processing and chaotic optical communication to production of superwicking surfaces, correction of extremely high-power beams, and generation of ultrabroadband spectra. It presents both review-type contributions and well researched and documented case studies, and is intended for graduate students, young scientist, and emeritus scientist working/studying in laser physics, optoelectronics, optics, photonics, and adjacent areas. The book contains both experimental and theoretical studies, as well as combinations of these two, which is known to be a most useful and interesting form of reporting scientific results, allowing students to really learn from each contribution. The book contains over 130 illustrations.

Blind deconvolution is a classical image processing problem which has been investigated by a large number of researchers over the last four decades. The purpose of this monograph is not to propose yet another method for blind image restoration. Rather the basic issue of deconvolvability has been explored from a theoretical view point. Some authors claim very good results while quite a few claim that blind restoration does not work. The authors clearly detail when such methods are expected to work and when they will not. In order to avoid the assumptions needed for convergence analysis in the Fourier domain, the authors use a general method of convergence analysis used for alternate minimization based on three point and four point properties of the points in the image space. The authors prove that all points in the image space satisfy the three point property and also derive the conditions under which four point property is satisfied. This provides the conditions under which alternate minimization for blind deconvolution converges with a quadratic prior. Since the convergence properties depend on the chosen priors, one should design priors that avoid trivial solutions. Hence, a sparsity based solution is also provided for blind deconvolution, by using image priors having a cost that increases with the amount of blur, which is another way to prevent trivial solutions in joint estimation. This book will be a highly useful resource to the researchers and academicians in the specific area of blind deconvolution.

This book covers the state of the art of laser micro- and nanotechnology. The physical fundamentals of different processes and the application are presented. The book deals with different materials like phase change and memory alloys, thin films, polymers etc. New phenomena and mechanisms of laser-matter interaction in nano-domains are explained. This book is helpful for students, postgraduates, engineers and researches working not only in the field of laser microtechnology but also in high-tech industry, like photonics, microelectronics, information technology.

The book aims to describe the microscopic characterization of the soft matter in the light of new advances acquired in the science of microscopy techniques like AFM; SEM; TEM etc. It does not focus on the traditional information on the microscopy methods as well as systems already present in different books, but intends to answer more fundamental questions associated with commercially important systems by using new advances in microscopy. Such questions are generally not answered by other techniques. The contents of the book also reflect this as the chapters are not based on describing only material systems, but are based on the answering the problems or questions arising in their characterization. Both qualitative as well as quantitative analysis using such microscopic techniques is discussed. Moreover, efforts have been made to provide a broader reach as discussions on both polymers as well as biological matter have been included as different sections. Such a text with comprehensive overview of the various characterization possibilities using microscopy methods can serve as a valuable reference for microscopy experts as well as non-experts alike

Here's a complete and up-to-date introduction to the analysis and design of infrared and electro-optical (EO) imaging systems. This comprehensive reference details the principles and components of the Linear Shift-Invariant (LSI) infrared and electro-optical systems and shows you how to combine this approach with calculus and domain transformations to achieve a successful imaging system analysis. Ultimately, the steps described in this book lead to results in quantitative characterizations of performance metrics such as modulation transfer functions, minimum resolvable temperature difference, minimum resolvable contrast, and probability of object discrimination.

The book includes an introduction to two-dimensional functions and mathematics which can be used to describe image transfer characteristics and imaging system components. You also learn diffraction concepts of coherent and incoherent imaging systems which show you the fundamental limits of their performance. By using the evaluation procedures contained in this desktop reference, engineers and program managers become capable of predicting both sensor test and field performance and quantifying the effects of component variations. "Introduction to Infrared and Electro-Optical Systems" contains over 500 equations.

This rigorous book is a complete and up-to-date reference for the Csound system from the perspective of its main developers and power users. It explains the system, including the basic modes of operation and its programming language; it explores the many ways users can interact with the system, including the latest features; and it describes key applications such as instrument design, signal processing, and creative electronic music composition. The Csound system has been adopted by many educational institutions as part of their undergraduate and graduate teaching programs, and it is used by practitioners worldwide. This book is suitable for students, lecturers, composers, sound designers, programmers, and researchers in the areas of music, sound, and audio signal processing.

This authored monograph presents key aspects of signal processing analysis in the biomedical arena. Unlike wireless communication systems, biological entities produce signals with underlying nonlinear, chaotic nature that elude classification using the standard signal processing techniques, which have been developed over the past several decades for dealing primarily with standard communication systems. This book separates what is random from that which appears to be random and yet is truly deterministic with random appearance. At its core, this work gives the reader a perspective on biomedical signals and the means to classify and process such signals. In particular, a review of random processes along with means to assess the behavior of random signals is also provided. The book also includes a general discussion of biological signals in order to demonstrate the inefficacy of the well-known techniques to correctly extract meaningful information from such signals. Finally, a thorough discussion of recently proposed signal processing tools and methods for addressing biological signals is included. The target audience primarily comprises researchers and expert practitioners but the book may also be beneficial for graduate students.

This book shares the knowledge of active and prestigious worldwide researchers and scholars in the field of healthcare monitoring as authors investigate historical developments, summarize latest advancements, and envision future prospects on wearable, attachable, and invisible devices that monitor diverse physiological information. The coverage of the book spans multiple disciplines, from biomechanics, to bioelectricity, biochemistry, biophysics and biomaterials. There is also wide coverage of various physical and chemical quantities such as electricity, pressure, flow, motion, force, temperature, gases, and biomarkers. Each chapter explores the background of a specific monitoring device, as well as its physical and chemical principles and instrumentation, signal processing and data analysis, achieved outcomes and application scenarios, and future research topics. There are chapters on: Electrocardiograms, electroencephalograms, and electromyograms Measurement of flow phenomenon Latest wearable technologies for the quantification of human motion Various forms of wearable thermometers Monitoring of gases and chemical substances produced during metabolism...and more! This book is appropriate and accessible for students and scientists, as well as researchers in biomedical engineering, computer engineers, healthcare entrepreneurs, administrative officers, policy makers, market vendors, and healthcare personnel. It helps to provide us with insights into future endeavors, formulate innovative businesses and services, and will help improve people's health and quality of life.

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.