Sound, devoid of meaning, would not matter to us. It is the information sound conveys that helps the brain to understand its environment. Sound and its underlying meaning are always associated with time and space. There is no sound without spatial properties, and the brain always organizes this information within a temporal-spatial framework. This book is devoted to understanding the importance of meaning for spatial and related further aspects of hearing, including cross-modal inference. People, when exposed to acoustic stimuli, do not react directly to what they hear but rather to what they hear means to them. This semiotic maxim may not always apply, for instance, when the reactions are reflexive. But, where it does apply, it poses a major challenge to the builders of models of the auditory system. Take, for example, an auditory model that is meant to be implemented on a robotic agent for autonomous search-&-rescue actions. Or think of a system that can perform judgments on the sound quality of multimedia-reproduction systems. It becomes immediately clear that such a system needs * Cognitive capabilities, including substantial inherent knowledge * The ability to integrate information across different sensory modalities To realize these functions, the auditory system provides a pair of sensory organs, the two ears, and the means to perform adequate preprocessing of the signals provided by the ears. This is realized in the subcortical parts of the auditory system. In the title of a prior book, the term Binaural Listening is used to indicate a focus on sub-cortical functions. Psychoacoustics and auditory signal processing contribute substantially to this area. The preprocessed signals are then forwarded to the cortical parts of the auditory system where, among other things, recognition, classification, localization, scene analysis, assignment of meaning, quality assessment, and action planning take place. Also, information from different sensory modalities is integrated at this level. Between sub-cortical and cortical regions of the auditory system, numerous feedback loops exist that ultimately support the high complexity and plasticity of the auditory system. The current book concentrates on these cognitive functions. Instead of processing signals, processing symbols is now the predominant modeling task. Substantial contributions to the field draw upon the knowledge acquired by cognitive psychology. The keyword Binaural Understanding in the book title characterizes this shift. Both books, The Technology of Binaural Listening and the current one, have been stimulated and supported by AABBA, an open research group devoted to the development and application of models of binaural hearing. The current book is dedicated to technologies that help explain, facilitate, apply, and support various aspects of binaural understanding. It is organized into five parts, each containing three to six chapters in order to provide a comprehensive overview of this emerging area. Each chapter was thoroughly reviewed by at least two anonymous, external experts. The first part deals with the psychophysical and physiological effects of Forming and Interpreting Aural Objects as well as the underlying models. The fundamental concepts of reflexive and reflective auditory feedback are introduced. Mechanisms of binaural attention and attention switching are covered-as well as how auditory Gestalt rules facilitate binaural understanding. A general blackboard architecture is introduced as an example of how machines can learn to form and interpret aural objects to simulate human cognitive listening. The second part, Configuring and Understanding Aural Space, focuses on the human understanding of complex three-dimensional environments-covering the psychological and biological fundamentals of auditory space formation. This part further addresses the human mechanisms used to process information and interact in complex reverberant environments, such as concert halls and forests, and additionally examines how the auditory system can learn to understand and adapt to these environments. The third part is dedicated to Processing Cross-Modal Inference and highlights the fundamental human mechanisms used to integrate auditory cues with cues from other modalities to localize and form perceptual objects. This part also provides a general framework for understanding how complex multimodal scenes can be simulated and rendered. The fourth part, Evaluating Aural-scene Quality and Speech Understanding, focuses on the object-forming aspects of binaural listening and understanding. It addresses cognitive mechanisms involved in both the understanding of speech and the processing of nonverbal information such as Sound Quality and Quality-of- Experience. The aesthetic judgment of rooms is also discussed in this context. Models that simulate underlying human processes and performance are covered in addition to techniques for rendering virtual environments that can then be used to test these models. The fifth part deals with the Application of Cognitive Mechanisms to Audio Technology. It highlights how cognitive mechanisms can be utilized to create spatial auditory illusions using binaural and other 3D-audio technologies. Further, it covers how cognitive binaural technologies can be applied to improve human performance in auditory displays and to develop new auditory technologies for interactive robots. The book concludes with the application of cognitive binaural technologies to the next generation of hearing aids.

This practical book provides an end-to-end guide to TensorFlow, the leading open source software library that helps you build and train neural networks for deep learning, Natural Language Processing (NLP), speech recognition, and general predictive analytics. The book provides a hands-on approach to TensorFlow fundamentals for a broad technical audience-from data scientists and engineers to students and researchers. The authors begin by working through some basic examples in TensorFlow before diving deeper into topics such as CNN, RNN, LSTM, and GNN. The book is written for those who want to build powerful, robust, and accurate predictive models with the power of TensorFlow, combined with other open source Python libraries. The authors demonstrate TensorFlow projects on Single Board Computers (SBCs).

Integrated Lasers on Silicon provides a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art use of lasers on silicon for photonic integration. The authors demonstrate the need for efficient laser sources on silicon, motivated by the development of on-board/on-chip optical interconnects and the different integration schemes available. The authors include detailed descriptions of Group IV-based lasers, followed by a presentation of the results obtained through the bonding approach (hybrid III-V lasers). The monolithic integration of III-V semiconductor lasers are explored, concluding with a discussion of the different kinds of cavity geometries benchmarked with respect to their potential integration on silicon in an industrial environment.

This thesis presents a comprehensive theoretical description of classical and quantum aspects of plasmonics in three and two dimensions, and also in transdimensional systems containing elements with different dimensionalities. It focuses on the theoretical understanding of the salient features of plasmons in nanosystems as well as on the multifaceted aspects of plasmon-enhanced light-matter interactions at the nanometer scale. Special emphasis is given to the modeling of nonclassical behavior across the transition regime bridging the classical and the quantum domains. The research presented in this dissertation provides useful tools for understanding surface plasmons in various two- and three-dimensional nanostructures, as well as quantum mechanical effects in their response and their joint impact on light-matter interactions at the extreme nanoscale. These contributions constitute novel and solid advancements in the research field of plasmonics and nanophotonics that will help guide future experimental investigations in the blossoming field of nanophotonics, and also facilitate the design of the next generation of truly nanoscale nanophotonic devices.

Sensor technologies play a large part in modern life, as they are present in things like security systems, digital cameras, smartphones, and motion sensors. While these devices are always evolving, research is being done to further develop this technology to help detect and analyze threats, perform in-depth inspections, and perform tracking services. Optoelectronics in Machine Vision-Based Theories and Applications provides innovative insights on theories and applications of optoelectronics in machine vision-based systems. It also covers topics such as applications of unmanned aerial vehicle, autonomous and mobile robots, medical scanning, industrial applications, agriculture, and structural health monitoring. This publication is a vital reference source for engineers, technology developers, academicians, researchers, and advanced-level students seeking emerging research on sensor technologies and machine vision.

This book presents the proceedings of the 5th IFToMM Symposium on Mechanism Design for Robotics, MEDER 2021, held in Poitiers, France, 23-25 June 2021. It gathers contributions by researchers from several countries on all major areas of robotic research, development and innovation, as well as new applications and current trends. The topics covered include: theoretical and computational kinematics, mechanism design, experimental mechanics, mechanics of robots, control issues of mechanical systems, machine intelligence, innovative mechanisms and applications, linkages and manipulators, micro-mechanisms, dynamics of machinery and multi-body systems. Given its scope, the book offers a source of information and inspiration for researchers seeking to improve their work and gather new ideas for future developments.

This book provides a comprehensive study of the research outcomes on memristor emulator circuits and includes various analog applications as examples. The authors describe in detail how to design different types of memristor emulators, using active and passive components for different applications. Most of the emulator circuits presented in this book are new and are the outcomes of the authors' recent research. Coverage also includes the latest technological advances in memristor and memristor emulators. Readers will benefit from an understanding of the fundamental concepts and potential applications related to memristors, since these emulator circuits can be built in the laboratory using inexpensive, off-the-shelf circuit components. Introduces readers to memristor emulator circuit design, using regular off-the-shelf circuit components; Describes analog applications of memristors that can be verified by the proposed emulator circuits; Includes a brief overview of the updated mathematical models of the memristor device, with different material implementations; Equips readers to understand the three fingerprints of memristors, which make them unique, compared to the three known, passive elements (resistor, inductor and capacitor).

This textbook is based on 20 years of teaching a graduate-level course in random processes to a constituency extending beyond signal processing, communications, control, and networking, and including in particular circuits, RF and optics graduate students. In order to accommodate today's circuits students' needs to understand noise modeling, while covering classical material on Brownian motion, Poisson processes, and power spectral densities, the author has inserted discussions of thermal noise, shot noise, quantization noise and oscillator phase noise. At the same time, techniques used to analyze modulated communications and radar signals, such as the baseband representation of bandpass random signals, or the computation of power spectral densities of a wide variety of modulated signals, are presented. This book also emphasizes modeling skills, primarily through the inclusion of long problems at the end of each chapter, where starting from a description of the operation of a system, a model is constructed and then analyzed. Provides semester-length coverage of random processes, applicable to the analysis of electrical and computer engineering systems; Designed to be accessible to students with varying backgrounds in undergraduate mathematics and engineering; Includes solved examples throughout the discussion, as well as extensive problem sets at the end of every chapter; Develops and reinforces student's modeling skills, with inclusion of modeling problems in every chapter; Solutions for instructors included.

The book highlights three types of technologies being developed for autonomous solution of navigation problems. These technologies are based on the polarization structure, ultra-broadband and the fluctuation characteristics (slow and fast) of the radiolocation signals. The book presents the problems of intrinsic thermal radio emission polarization and change in radio waves polarization when they are reflected from objects with non-linear properties. The purpose of this book is to develop the foundations for creating autonomous radionavigation systems to provide aviation with navigation systems that will substantially increase its capabilities, specifically acting where satellite technologies do not work. The book is intended for specialists involved in the development and operation of aviation-technical complexes, as well as for specialists of national aviation regulators and ICAO experts dealing with the problems of improving flight safety.

This book highlights the use of LEDs in biomedical photoacoustic imaging. In chapters written by key opinion leaders in the field, it covers a broad range of topics, including fundamentals, principles, instrumentation, image reconstruction and data/image processing methods, preclinical and clinical applications of LED-based photoacoustic imaging. Apart from preclinical imaging studies and early clinical pilot studies using LED-based photoacoustics, the book includes a chapter exploring the opportunities and challenges of clinical translation from an industry perspective. Given its scope, the book will appeal to scientists and engineers in academia and industry, as well as medical experts interested in the clinical applications of photoacoustic imaging.

This book brings together papers presented at the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in China (ChinaAI) 2019, which provided a venue for disseminating the latest advances and discussing the interactions and links between the various subfields of AI. Addressing topics that cover virtually all aspects of AI and the latest developments in China, the book is chiefly intended for undergraduate and graduate students in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, and Mathematics, for researchers and engineers from academia and industry, and for government employees (e.g. at the NSF, DOD, and DOE).

This book offer clear descriptions of the basic structure for the recognition and classification of human activities using different types of sensor module and smart devices in e.g. healthcare, education, monitoring the elderly, daily human behavior, and fitness monitoring. In addition, the complexities, challenges, and design issues involved in data collection, processing, and other fundamental stages along with datasets, methods, etc., are discussed in detail. The book offers a valuable resource for readers in the fields of pattern recognition, human-computer interaction, and the Internet of Things.

This thesis presents the first successful realization of a compact, low-noise, and few-cycle light source in the mid-infrared wavelength region. By developing the technology of pumping femtosecond chromium-doped II-VI laser oscillators directly with the emission of broad-stripe single-emitter laser diodes, coherent light was generated with exceptionally low amplitude noise - crucial for numerous applications including spectroscopy at high sensitivities. Other key parameters of the oscillator's output, such as pulse duration and output power, matched and even surpassed previous state-of-the-art systems. As a demonstration of its unique capabilities, the oscillator's powerful output was used to drive - without further amplification - the nonlinear generation of coherent mid-infrared light spanning multiple octaves. The resulting table-top system uniquely combines high brilliance and ultrabroad spectral bandwidth in the important mid-infrared spectral range. The rapid development of this technology is comprehensively and lucidly documented in this PhD thesis. Together with a thorough review of literature and applications, and an extensive analysis of the theoretical foundations behind ultrafast laser oscillators, the thesis will serve as a valuable reference for the construction of a new generation of mid-infrared light sources.

This book discusses the computational geometry, topology and physics of digital images and video frame sequences. This trio of computational approaches encompasses the study of shape complexes, optical vortex nerves and proximities embedded in triangulated video frames and single images, while computational geometry focuses on the geometric structures that infuse triangulated visual scenes. The book first addresses the topology of cellular complexes to provide a basis for an introductory study of the computational topology of visual scenes, exploring the fabric, shapes and structures typically found in visual scenes. The book then examines the inherent geometry and topology of visual scenes, and the fine structure of light and light caustics of visual scenes, which bring into play catastrophe theory and the appearance of light caustic folds and cusps. Following on from this, the book introduces optical vortex nerves in triangulated digital images. In this context, computational physics is synonymous with the study of the fine structure of light choreographed in video frames. This choreography appears as a sequence of snapshots of light reflected and refracted from surface shapes, providing a solid foundation for detecting, analyzing and classifying visual scene shapes.

This book discusses fundamentally new biomedical imaging methods, such as holography, holographic and resonant interferometry, and speckle optics. It focuses on the development of holographic interference microscopy and its use in the study of phase objects such as nerve and muscle fibers subjected to the influence of laser radiation, magnetic fields, and hyperbaric conditions. The book shows how the myelin sheath and even the axon itself exhibit waveguide properties, enabling a fresh new look at the mechanisms of information transmission in the human body. The book presents theoretically and experimentally tested holographic and speckle-optical methods and devices used for investigating complex, diffusely scattering surfaces such as skin and muscle tissue. Additionally, it gives broad discussion of the authors' own original fundamental and applied research dedicated to helping physicians introduce new contact-less methods of diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the cardiovascular and neuromuscular systems into medical practice. The book is aimed at a broad spectrum of scientific specialists in the fields of speckle optics, holography, laser physics, morphology and cytochemistry, as well as medical professionals such as physiologists, neuropathologists, neurosurgeons, cardiologists and dentists.

This book presents the proceedings of the 46th National Symposium on Acoustics (NSA 2017). The main goal of this symposium is to discuss key opportunities and challenges in acoustics, especially as applied to engineering problems. The book covers topics ranging from hydro-acoustics, environmental acoustics, bio-acoustics to musical acoustics, electro-acoustics and sound perception. The contents of this volume will prove useful to researchers and practicing engineers working on acoustics problems.

Image and signal processing techniques are receiving increasing interest because of their numerous real-world applications. Data is now available in different forms, different wavelengths, and even in different dimensions, creating the need for novel multidisciplinary solutions for automated data processing and analysis. Applied Signal and Image Processing: Multidisciplinary Advancements highlights the growing multidisciplinary nature of signal and image processing by focusing on emerging applications and recent advances in well-established fields. This book covers state-or-the-art applications in both signal and image processing, which include optical communication and sensing, wireless communication management, face recognition and facial imaging, solar imaging and feature detection, fractal analysis, and video processing.

The subject of this book is theory, principles and methods used in radar algorithm development with a special focus on automotive radar signal processing. In the automotive industry, autonomous driving is currently a hot topic that leads to numerous applications for both safety and driving comfort. It is estimated that full autonomous driving will be realized in the next twenty to thirty years and one of the enabling technologies is radar sensing. This book presents both detection and tracking topics specifically for automotive radar processing. It provides illustrations, figures and tables for the reader to quickly grasp the concepts and start working on practical solutions. The complete and comprehensive coverage of the topic provides both professionals and newcomers with all the essential methods and tools required to successfully implement and evaluate automotive radar processing algorithms.

This book takes a deep dive into ubiquitous computing for applications in health, business, education, tourism, and transportation. The rich interdisciplinary contents of the book appeal to readers from diverse disciplines who aspire to create new and innovative research initiatives and applications in ubiquitous computing. Topics include condition monitoring and diagnostics; multi-objective optimization in design, multi-objective optimization of machining parameters, and more. The book benefits researchers, advanced students, as well as practitioners interested in applications of ubiquitous computing. Features practical, tested applications in ubiquitous computing Includes applications such as health, business, education, electronics, tourism, and transportation Applicable to researchers, academics, students, and professionals

This textbook is designed for graduate-level courses, and for self-study, in analog and sampled-data, including switched-capacitor, circuit theory and design for ongoing, or active electrical engineers, needing to become proficient in analog circuit design on a system, rather than on a device, level. After decades of experience in industry and teaching this material in academic settings, the author has extracted many of the most important and useful features of analog circuit theory and design and presented them in a manner that is easy to digest and utilize. The methodology and analysis techniques presented can be applied to areas well beyond those specifically addressed in this book. This book is meant to enable readers to gain a 'general knowledge' of one aspect of analog engineering (e.g., that of network theory, filter design, system theory and sampled-data signal processing). The presentation is self-contained and should be accessible to anyone with a first degree in electrical engineering.

The book proposes new technologies and discusses innovative solutions to various problems in the field of communication, circuits, and systems, as reflected in high-quality papers presented at International Conference on Communication, Circuits, and Systems (IC3S 2020) held at KIIT, Bhubaneswar, India from 16 - 18 October 2020. It brings together new works from academicians, scientists, industry professionals, scholars, and students together to exchange research outcomes and open up new horizons in the areas of signal processing, communications, and devices.

This book presents current developments in smart city research and application regarding the management of manufacturing systems, Industry 4.0, transportation, and business management. It suggests approaches to incorporating smart city innovations into manufacturing systems, with an eye towards competitiveness in a global environment. The same pro-innovative approach is then applied to business and cooperation management. The authors also present smart city transportation solutions including vehicle data processing/reporting system, mobile application for fleet managers, bus drivers, bus passengers and special applications for smart city buses like passenger counting system, IP cameras, GPS system etc. The goal of the book is to establish channels of communication and disseminate knowledge among researchers and professionals working on smart city research and application. Features contributions on a variety of topics related to smart cities from global researchers and professionals in a wide range of sectors; Presents topics relating to smart cities such as manufacturing, business, and transportation; Includes expanded selected papers from EAI International Conference on Management of Manufacturing Systems (MMS 2016), EAI Industry of Things and Future Technologies Conference - Mobility IoT 2016 and International Conference on Smart Electric Vehicles and Vehicular Ad-hoc NETworks (SEVNET).

In two volumes, this book presents a detailed, systematic treatment of electromagnetics with application to the propagation of transient electromagnetic fields (including ultrawideband signals and ultrashort pulses) in dispersive attenuative media. The development in this expanded, updated, and reorganized new edition is mathematically rigorous, progressing from classical theory to the asymptotic description of pulsed wave fields in Debye and Lorentz model dielectrics, Drude model conductors, and composite model semiconductors. It will be of use to researchers as a resource on electromagnetic radiation and wave propagation theory with applications to ground and foliage penetrating radar, medical imaging, communications, and safety issues associated with ultrawideband pulsed fields. With meaningful exercises, and an authoritative selection of topics, it can also be used as a textbook to prepare graduate students for research. Volume 2 presents a detailed asymptotic description of plane wave pulse propagation in dielectric, conducting, and semiconducting materials as described by the classical Lorentz model of dielectric resonance, the Rocard-Powles-Debye model of orientational polarization, and the Drude model of metals. The rigorous description of the signal velocity of a pulse in a dispersive material is presented in connection with the question of superluminal pulse propagation. The second edition contains new material on the effects of spatial dispersion on precursor formation, and pulse transmission into a dispersive half space and into multilayered media. Volume 1 covers spectral representations in temporally dispersive media.

This book provides a survey on research, development, and trends in innovative computing in communications engineering and computer science. It features selected and expanded papers from the EAI International Conference on Computer Science and Engineering 2018 (COMPSE 2018), with contributions by top global researchers and practitioners in the field. The content is of relevance to computer science graduates, researchers and academicians in computer science and engineering. The authors discuss new technologies in computer science and engineering that have reduced the dimension of data coverage worldwide, reducing the gaps and coverage of domains globally. They discuss how these advances have also contributed to strength in prediction, analysis, and decision in the areas such as Technology, Management, Social Computing, Green Computing, and Telecom. Contributions show how nurturing the research in technology and computing is essential to finding the right pattern in the ocean of data. Focuses on research areas of innovative computing and its application in engineering and technology; Includes contributions from researchers in computing and engineering from around the world; Features selected and expanded papers from EAI International Conference on Computer Science and Engineering 2018 (COMPSE 2018).

This book highlights new advances in biometrics using deep learning toward deeper and wider background, deeming it "Deep Biometrics". The book aims to highlight recent developments in biometrics using semi-supervised and unsupervised methods such as Deep Neural Networks, Deep Stacked Autoencoder, Convolutional Neural Networks, Generative Adversary Networks, and so on. The contributors demonstrate the power of deep learning techniques in the emerging new areas such as privacy and security issues, cancellable biometrics, soft biometrics, smart cities, big biometric data, biometric banking, medical biometrics, healthcare biometrics, and biometric genetics, etc. The goal of this volume is to summarize the recent advances in using Deep Learning in the area of biometric security and privacy toward deeper and wider applications. Highlights the impact of deep learning over the field of biometrics in a wide area; Exploits the deeper and wider background of biometrics, such as privacy versus security, biometric big data, biometric genetics, and biometric diagnosis, etc.; Introduces new biometric applications such as biometric banking, internet of things, cloud computing, and medical biometrics.