The volume addresses issues concerning prosody generation in speech synthesis, including prosody modeling, how we can convey para- and non-linguistic information in speech synthesis, and prosody control in speech synthesis (including prosody conversions). A high level of quality has already been achieved in speech synthesis by using selection-based methods with segments of human speech. Although the method enables synthetic speech with various voice qualities and speaking styles, it requires large speech corpora with targeted quality and style. Accordingly, speech conversion techniques are now of growing interest among researchers. HMM/GMM-based methods are widely used, but entail several major problems when viewed from the prosody perspective; prosodic features cover a wider time span than segmental features and their frame-by-frame processing is not always appropriate. The book offers a good overview of state-of-the-art studies on prosody in speech synthesis.

This book discusses the design of the new mobility assistive information and communication technologies (ICT) devices for the visually impaired. The book begins with a definition of the space concept, followed by the concept of interaction with a space during mobility and this interaction characteristics. The contributors will then examine the neuro-cognitive basis of space perception for mobility and different theories of space perception. The text presents the existing technologies for space perception (sense recovery with stem and iPS cells, implants, brain plasticity, sensory substitution devices, multi modal technologies, etc.), the newest technologies for mobility assistance design, the way the feedback on environment is conveyed to the end-user. Methods for formative and summative evaluations of the mobility devices will also be discussed. The book concludes with a look to the future trends in research and technology development for mobility assistive information and communication technologies.

Lanthanide-Doped Luminescent Nanomaterials reviews the latest advances in the development of lanthanide-doped luminescent inorganic nanoparticles for potential bioapplications. This book covers the chemical and physical fundamentals of these nanoparticles, such as the controlled synthesis methodology, surface modification chemistry, optical physics, and their promising applications in diverse bioassays, with an emphasis on heterogeneous and homogeneous in-vitro biodetection of tumor biomarkers. This book is intended for those readers who are interested in systematically understanding the materials design strategy, optical behavior of lanthanide ions, and practical bioapplications of lanthanide nanoparticles. It primarily focuses on the interdisciplinary frontiers in chemistry, physics and biological aspects of luminescent nanomaterials. All chapters were written by scientists active in this field and for a broad audience, providing both beginners and advanced researchers with comprehensive information on the subject. Xueyuan Chen is a Professor at Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter (FJIRSM), Chinese Academy of Sciences. Yongsheng Liu is a Research Associate Professor at FJIRSM, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Datao Tu is a Research Assistant Professor at FJIRSM, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

This book presents a study of the use of optimization algorithms in complex image processing problems. The problems selected explore areas ranging from the theory of image segmentation to the detection of complex objects in medical images. Furthermore, the concepts of machine learning and optimization are analyzed to provide an overview of the application of these tools in image processing. The material has been compiled from a teaching perspective. Accordingly, the book is primarily intended for undergraduate and postgraduate students of Science, Engineering, and Computational Mathematics, and can be used for courses on Artificial Intelligence, Advanced Image Processing, Computational Intelligence, etc. Likewise, the material can be useful for research from the evolutionary computation, artificial intelligence and image processing communities.

This book provides insight into the challenges in providing data authentication over wireless communication channels. The authors posit that established standard authentication mechanisms - for wired devices - are not sufficient to authenticate data, such as voice, images, and video over wireless channels. The authors propose new mechanisms based on the so-called soft authentication algorithms, which tolerate some legitimate modifications in the data that they protect. The authors explain that the goal of these algorithms is that they are tolerant to changes in the content but are still able to identify the forgeries. The authors go on to describe how an additional advantage of the soft authentication algorithms is the ability to identify the locations of the modifications and correct them if possible. The authors show how to achieve this by protecting the data features with the help of error correcting codes. The correction methods are typically based on watermarking, as the authors discuss in the book. Provides a discussion of data (particularly image) authentication methods in the presence of noise experienced in wireless communication; Presents a new class of soft authentication methods, instead of the standard hard authentication methods, used to tolerate minor changes in image data; Features authentication methods based on the usage of authentication tags as well as digital watermarks.

There is a wide field of tasks left that can only be satisfyingly attacked with the help of old-fashioned analogue technology, and one of the most important are amplifiers for analogue signals. The strongly expanded content of the second edition of "the sound of silence" leads to affordable amplifier design approaches which will end up in lowest-noise solutions not far away from the edge of physical boundaries set by room temperature and given cartridges - thus, fully compatible with very expensive so called "high-end" or "state-of-the-art" offers on today markets - and, from a noise point of view in most cases outperforming them

With easy to follow mathematical treatment it is demonstrated as well that theory is not far away from reality. Measured SNs will be found within 1dB off the calculated ones and deviations from the exact amplifier transfer won't cross the 0.1dB tolerance lines. Additionally, the book presents measurement set-ups and results. Consequently, comparisons with measurement results of test magazine will soon become easier to perform.

This new edition includes a new chapters about reference levels, Noise in Amp Input sections, Humming Problems, and much more."

The book discusses intelligent system design using soft computing and similar systems and their interdisciplinary applications. It also focuses on the recent trends to use soft computing as a versatile tool for designing a host of decision support systems.

This book provides readers with a selection of high-quality chapters that cover both theoretical concepts and practical applications of image feature detectors and descriptors. It serves as reference for researchers and practitioners by featuring survey chapters and research contributions on image feature detectors and descriptors. Additionally, it emphasizes several keywords in both theoretical and practical aspects of image feature extraction. The keywords include acceleration of feature detection and extraction, hardware implantations, image segmentation, evolutionary algorithm, ordinal measures, as well as visual speech recognition.

The most recent design and system applications of OF amplifiers are comprehensively described in this detailed book. With specific focus on the latest telecommunication engineering issues, it reviews all significant properties of optical fiber amplifiers and presents highly accurate models for erbium-, neodymium-, and praseodymium- doped fiver amplifiers.

This book provides an introduction to software-defined radio and cognitive radio, along with methodologies for applying knowledge representation, semantic web, logic reasoning and artificial intelligence to cognitive radio, enabling autonomous adaptation and flexible signaling. Readers from the wireless communications and software-defined radio communities will use this book as a reference to extend software-defined radio to cognitive radio, using the semantic technology described.

Human information and communication technology (ICT) implants have developed for many years in a medical context. Such applications have become increasingly advanced, in some cases modifying fundamental brain function. Today, comparatively low-tech implants are being increasingly employed in non-therapeutic contexts, with applications ranging from the use of ICT implants for VIP entry into nightclubs, automated payments for goods, access to secure facilities and for those with a high risk of being kidnapped. Commercialisation and growing potential of human ICT implants have generated debate over the ethical, legal and social aspects of the technology, its products and application. Despite stakeholders calling for greater policy and legal certainty within this area, gaps have already begun to emerge between the commercial reality of human ICT implants and the current legal frameworks designed to regulate these products. This book focuses on the latest technological developments and on the legal, social and ethical implications of the use and further application of these technologies.

This book addresses the problems that hinder image authentication in the presence of noise. It considers the advantages and disadvantages of existing algorithms for image authentication and shows new approaches and solutions for robust image authentication. The state of the art algorithms are compared and, furthermore, innovative approaches and algorithms are introduced. The introduced algorithms are applied to improve image authentication, watermarking and biometry. Aside from presenting new directions and algorithms for robust image authentication in the presence of noise, as well as image correction, this book also: Provides an overview of the state of the art algorithms for image authentication in the presence of noise and modifications, as well as a comparison of these algorithms, Presents novel algorithms for robust image authentication, whereby the image is tried to be corrected and authenticated, Examines different views for the solution of problems connected to image authentication in the presence of noise, Shows examples, how the new techniques can be applied to image authentication, watermarking and biometry. This book is written on the one hand for students, who want to learn about image processing, authentication, watermarking and biometry, and on the other hand for engineers and researchers, who work on aspects of robustness against modifications of secure images.

This book explores the life and scientific legacy of Manfred Schroeder through personal reflections, scientific essays and Schroeder s own memoirs. Reflecting the wide range of Schroeder s activities, the first part of the book contains thirteen articles written by his colleagues and former students. Topics discussed include his early, pioneering contributions to the understanding of statistical room acoustics and to the measurement of reverberation time; his introduction of digital signal processing methods into acoustics; his use of ray tracing methods to study sound decay in rooms and his achievements in echo and feedback suppression and in noise reduction. Other chapters cover his seminal research in speech processing including the use of predictive coding to reduce audio bandwidth which led to various code-excited linear prediction schemes, today used extensively for speech coding. Several chapters discuss Schroeder s work in low-peak factor signals, number theory, and maximum-length sequences with key applications in hearing research, diffraction gratings, artificial reverberators and de-correlation techniques for enhancing subjective envelopment in surround sound. In style, the articles range from truly scientific to conversationally personal. In all contributions, the relationship between the current research presented and Manfred Schroeder s own fields of interest is, in general, evident. The second part of the book consists of Schroeder s own memoirs, written over the final decade of his life. These recollections shed light on many aspects not only of Schroeder s life but also on that of many of his colleagues, friends and contemporaries. They portray political, social and scientific events over a period that extends from pre-war to the present. These memoirs, written in an inimitable and witty style, are full of information, entertaining and fun to read, providing key insight into the life and work of one of the greatest acousticians of the 20th century."

Quantum dots as nanomaterials have been extensively investigated in the past several decades from growth to characterization to applications. As the basis of future developments in the field, this book collects a series of state-of-the-art chapters on the current status of quantum dot devices and how these devices take advantage of quantum features. Written by 56 leading experts from 14 countries, the chapters cover numerous quantum dot applications, including lasers, LEDs, detectors, amplifiers, switches, transistors, and solar cells. "Quantum Dot Devices" is appropriate for researchers of all levels of experience with an interest in epitaxial and/or colloidal quantum dots. It provides the beginner with the necessary overview of this exciting field and those more experienced with a comprehensive reference source."

After the invention of semiconductor-based recti?ers and diodes in the ?rst half of the last century, the advent of the transistor paved the way for semiconductors in electronic data handling starting around the mid of the last century. The transistors widely replaced the vacuum tubes, which had even been used in the ?rst generation of computers, the Z3 developed by Konrad Zuse in the 1940s of the last century. The ?rst transistors were individually housed semiconductor devices, which had to be soldered into the electric circuits. Later on, integrated circuits were developed with increasing numbers of individual elements per square inch. The materials changed from, e. g. , PbS and Se in rf-detectors and recti?ers used frequentlyin the ?rst halfof the last centuryoverthe groupIV element semicond- tor Ge with a band gap of 0. 7eV at room temperature to Si with a value of 1. 1eV. The increase of the gap reduced the leakage current and its temperature dependence signi?cantly. Therefore, the logical step was to try GaAs with a band gap of 1. 4eV next. However, the technology of this semiconductor from the group of III-V c- poundsprovedto be muchmoredif?cult,thoughbeautifuldeviceconceptshadbeen developed. Therefore,GaAsanditsalloysandnanostructureswithotherIII-Vc- poundslike AlGaAs or InP remained restricted in electronicsto special applications like transistors for extremely high frequencies, the so-called high electron mobility transistors (HEMT). The IT industry is still mainly based on Si and will remain so in the foreseeable nearer future.

Written from an industrial perspective this book discusses in detail the characteristics, design, construction, and performance of solid-state lasers. Emphasis is placed on engineering and practical considerations; phenomenological aspects using models are preferred to abstract mathematical derivations. Since its first edition almost 30 years ago this book has become the standard in the field of solid-state lasers for scientists, engineers and graduate students. This edition has been extensively revised and updated to account for recent developments in the areas of diode-laser pumping, laser materials and nonlinear crystals, and entire new sections have been added.

This book is an edited version of lectures given by the authors at the 1985 Jilin University Summer School on Laser Physics. The School was held at Jilin University in Changchun, Peoples' Republic of China.

This book is dedicated to the analysis of parametric amplification with special emphasis on the MOS discrete-time implementation. This implementation is demonstrated by the presentation of several circuits where the MOS parametric amplifier cell is used: small gain amplifier, comparator with embedded pre-amplification, discrete-time mixer/IIR-Filter, and analog-to-digital converter (ADC). Experimental results are shown to validate the overall design technique.

This book describes technology used for effective sensing of our physical world and intelligent processing techniques for sensed information, which are essential to the success of Internet of Things (IoT). The authors provide a multidisciplinary view of sensor technology from materials, process, circuits, to big data domains and they showcase smart sensor systems in real applications including smart home, transportation, medical, environmental, agricultural, etc. Unlike earlier books on sensors, this book provides a "global" view on smart sensors covering abstraction levels from device, circuit, systems, and algorithms.

Autonomous sensors transmit data and power their electronics without using cables. They can be found in e.g. wireless sensor networks (WSNs) or remote acquisition systems. Although primary batteries provide a simple design for powering autonomous sensors, they present several limitations such as limited capacity and power density, and difficulty in predicting their condition and state of charge. An alternative is to extract energy from the ambient (energy harvesting). However, the reduced dimensions of most autonomous sensors lead to a low level of available power from the energy transducer. Thus, efficient methods and circuits to manage and gather the energy are a must.

An integral approach for powering autonomous sensors by considering both primary batteries and energy harvesters is presented.Two rather different forms of energy harvesting are also dealt with: optical (or solar) and radiofrequency (RF). Optical energy provides high energy density, especially outdoors, whereas RF remote powering is possibly the most feasible option for autonomous sensors embedded into the soil or within structures. Throughout different chapters, devices such as primary and secondary batteries, supercapacitors, and energy transducers are extensively reviewed. Then, circuits and methods found in the literature used to efficiently extract and gather the energy are presented. Finally, new proposals based on the authors own research are analyzed and tested. Every chapter is written to be rather independent, with each incorporating the relevant literature references.

"Powering Autonomous Sensors" is intended for a wide audience working on or interested in the powering of autonomous sensors. Researchers and engineers can find a broad introduction to basic topics in this interesting and emerging area as well as further insights on the topics of solar and RF harvesting and of circuits and methods to maximize the power extracted from energy transducers.

This book is focused on the study of physical mechanisms and device design for achieving high-performance infrared photodetection based on low-dimensional materials. Through theory analysis, material characterization and photo-electric measurements, it provides solutions to the trade-off problems which are commonly encountered in traditional infrared photodetectors and presents novel methods to improve the responsivity, detectivity and response speed. Researchers and scientists in the field of opto-electronic device can benefit from the book.

This book features selected contributions in the areas of modeling, simulation, and optimization. The contributors discusses requirements in problem solving for modeling, simulation, and optimization. Modeling, simulation, and optimization have increased in demand in exponential ways and how potential solutions might be reached. They describe how new technologies in computing and engineering have reduced the dimension of data coverage worldwide, and how recent inventions in information and communication technology (ICT) have inched towards reducing the gaps and coverage of domains globally. The chapters cover how the digging of information in a large data and soft-computing techniques have contributed to a strength in prediction and analysis, for decision making in computer science, technology, management, social computing, green computing, and telecom. The book provides an insightful reference to the researchers in the fields of engineering and computer science. Researchers, academics, and professionals will benefit from this volume. Features selected expanded papers in modeling, simulation, and optimization from COMPSE 2016; Includes research into soft computing and its application in engineering and technology; Presents contributions from global experts in academia and industry in modeling, simulation, and optimization.

Fundamentals of Inertial Navigation, Satellite-based Positioning and their Integrationis an introduction to the field of Integrated Navigation Systems. It serves as an excellent reference for working engineers as well as textbook for beginners and students new to the area. The book is easy to read and understandwith minimum background knowledge. The authors explain the derivations in great detail. The intermediate steps are thoroughly explained so that a beginner can easily follow the material. The book shows a step-by-step implementation of navigation algorithmsand provides all the necessary details. It provides detailed illustrations for an easy comprehension.

The book also demonstrates real field experiments and in-vehicle road test results with professional discussions and analysis. This work is unique in discussing the different INS/GPS integration schemes in an easy to understand and straightforward way. Those schemes include loosely vs tightly coupled, open loop vs closed loop, and many more.

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This book presents novel and advanced technologies for medical sciences in order to solidify knowledge in the related fields and define their key stakeholders. The fifteen papers included in this book were written by invited experts of international stature and address important technologies for medical sciences, including: computational modeling and simulation, image processing and analysis, medical imaging, human motion and posture, tissue engineering, design and development medical devices, and mechanic biology. Different applications are treated in such diverse fields as biomechanical studies, prosthesis and orthosis, medical diagnosis, sport, and virtual reality. This book is of interest to researchers, students and manufacturers from a wide range of disciplines related to bioengineering, biomechanics, computational mechanics, computational vision, human motion, mathematics, medical devices, medical image, medicine and physics.

This book covers key topics in the field of intelligent ambient adaptive systems. It focuses on the results worked out within the framework of the ATRACO (Adaptive and TRusted Ambient eCOlogies) project. The theoretical background, the developed prototypes, and the evaluated results form a fertile ground useful for the broad intelligent environments scientific community as well as for industrial interest groups. The new edition provides: Chapter authors comment on their work on ATRACO with final remarks as viewed in retrospective Each chapter has been updated with follow-up work emerging from ATRACO An extensive introduction to state-of-the-art statistical dialog management for intelligent environments Approaches are introduced on how Trust is reflected during the dialog with the system