This book assists readers with understanding the key aspects, problems and solutions related to the design of proper Multiple Access Schemes for MTC (Machine-Type Communications) and IoT applications in 5G-and-beyond wireless networks. An overview of MTC applications and their traffic features are also provided. In addition, it presents a comprehensive review of MTC access schemes including orthogonal multiple access schemes (OMA), non-orthogonal multiple access schemes (NOMA), massive MIMO-based schemes and fast uplink grant approaches. It also proposes efficient and reconfigurable access schemes deploying machine learning and optimization techniques to address the main requirements of MTC networks. This book discusses potential research directions to further enhance the performance of MTC access schemes. Machine-type communications are expected to account for the dominant share of the traffic in future wireless networks. While in traditional wireless networks, designed for human-type communications, the focus is on support of large packet sizes in downlink, machine-type communication systems deal with heavy uplink traffic. This is due to the nature of the tasks performed by machine-type communication devices, which is mainly reporting measured data or a detected event. Furthermore, in these networks, using the virtualization framework, the network infrastructure can be shared between different applications for which providing isolation is of high importance. To support these unique characteristics of machine-type communications, proper access schemes need to be developed, which is the focus of this book. This book benefits advanced-level students studying computer science and electrical engineering as a secondary textbook and researchers working in this field. Engineers and practitioners interested in the challenges and practical solutions of integrating MTC in the cloud radio access network of 5G-and-beyond cellular systems will want to purchase this book as well.

This two-volume book set explores how sensors and computer vision technologies are used for the navigation, control, stability, reliability, guidance, fault detection, self-maintenance, strategic re-planning and reconfiguration of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Volume 1 concentrates on UAS control and performance methodologies including Computer Vision and Data Storage, Integrated Optical Flow for Detection and Avoidance Systems, Navigation and Intelligence, Modeling and Simulation, Multisensor Data Fusion, Vision in Micro-Aerial Vehicles (MAVs), Computer Vision in UAV using ROS, Security Aspects of UAV and Robot Operating System, Vision in Indoor and Outdoor Drones, Sensors and Computer Vision, and Small UAV for Persistent Surveillance. Volume 2 focuses on UAS deployment and applications including UAV-CPSs as a Testbed for New Technologies and a Primer to Industry 5.0, Human-Machine Interface Design, Open Source Software (OSS) and Hardware (OSH), Image Transmission in MIMO-OSTBC System, Image Database, Communications Requirements, Video Streaming, and Communications Links, Multispectral vs Hyperspectral Imaging, Aerial Imaging and Reconstruction of Infrastructures, Deep Learning as an Alternative to Super Resolution Imaging, and Quality of Experience (QoE) and Quality of Service (QoS).

This book gathers selected papers presented at the International Conference on Innovations in Information and Communication Technologies (ICI2CT 2020), held at National University of Singapore, Singapore, during 18-19 December 2020. It presents the works on the intersection of the Computer Science and Communication Engineering. Topics covered in the book include communications engineering, Internet and web technology, computer and information science, artificial intelligence, data science and management, and ICT applications.

This book presents a technical solution to ensuring the noise immunity of navigation systems in civil aviation aircrafts at the stages of their terminal procedures. It highlights instrumental precision approaches to landing and landing in automatic mode using satellite and inertial radio navigation systems and ground-based augmentation used as the primary means, in accordance with the ICAO requirements. The book is intended for engineering and technical specialists engaged in the development, manufacture and operation of on-board radio electronic systems of aircrafts and ground-based radio engineering support for flights, as well as graduate students and senior students of radio engineering specialties. It is also useful for professionals whose activities are related to air traffic control.

This book is a collection of papers presented at the International Workshop on New Approaches for Multidimensional Signal Processing (NAMSP 2020), held at Technical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria, during 09-11 July 2020. The book covers research papers in the field of N-dimensional multicomponent image processing, multidimensional image representation and super-resolution, 3D image processing and reconstruction, MD computer vision systems, multidimensional multimedia systems, neural networks for MD image processing, data-based MD image retrieval and knowledge data mining, watermarking, hiding and encryption of MD images, MD image processing in robot systems, tensor-based data processing, 3D and multi-view visualization, forensic analysis systems for MD images and many more.

This book presents methods for advancing green IoT sensor networks and IoT devices. Three main methods presented are: a standalone system to support IoT devices that is informed by the amount of energy the solar array system can produce; a model of securing a building's main power supply against unauthorized use; and security of the IoT devices and their networks. For each, the authors outline the methods, presents security and privacy issues, and their solutions. The work suggests a layered approach to expose security issues and challenges at each layer of the IoT architecture and proposes techniques used to mitigate these challenges. Finally, perspectives are drawn and discussed for future directions in securing IoT sensor networks, covering evolving areas such as artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, sensor Internet of People, context-aware sensing, cloud infrastructure, security and privacy, and the Internet of Everything.

From theory to application, this book presents research on biologically and brain-inspired networking and machine learning based on Yuragi, which is the Japanese term describing the noise or fluctuations that are inherently used to control the dynamics of a system. The Yuragi mechanism can be found in various biological contexts, such as in gene expression dynamics, molecular motors in muscles, or the visual recognition process in the brain. Unlike conventional network protocols that are usually designed to operate under controlled conditions with a predefined set of rules, the probabilistic behavior of Yuragi-based control permits the system to adapt to unknown situations in a distributed and self-organized manner leading to a higher scalability and robustness.The book consists of two parts. Part 1 provides in four chapters an introduction to the biological background of the Yuragi concept as well as how these are applied to networking problems. Part 2 provides additional contributions that extend the original Yuragi concept to a Bayesian attractor model from human perceptual decision making. In the six chapters of the second part, applications to various fields in information network control and artificial intelligence are presented, ranging from virtual network reconfigurations, a software-defined Internet of Things, and low-power wide-area networks. This book will benefit those working in the fields of information networks, distributed systems, and machine learning who seek new design mechanisms for controlling large-scale dynamically changing systems.

This book offers a comprehensive snapshot of practically-relevant developments in the field of smart information technologies. Including selected papers presented at the First International Conference on Smart Information and Communication Technologies, SmartICT 2019, held on September 26-28, in 2019, Saidia, Morocco, it reports on practical findings, and includes useful tutorials concerning current technologies and suggestions to improve them. It covers a wide range of applications, from health and energy management, to digital education, agriculture and cybersecurity, providing readers with a source of new ideas  for future research and collaborations.

This book 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: novel designs and applications of robotic systems, intelligent cooperating and service robots, advanced robot control, human-robot interfaces, robot vision systems, mobile robots, humanoid and walking robots, bio-inspired and swarm robotic systems, aerial, underwater and spatial robots, robots for ambient assisted living, medical robots and bionic prostheses, cognitive robots, cloud robotics, ethical and social issues in robotics, etc. 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. The contents reflect the outcomes of the activities of RAAD (International Conference on Robotics in Alpe-Adria-Danube Region) in 2020.

Underwater wireless sensor networks (UWSN) are envisioned as an aquatic medium for a variety of applications including oceanographic data collection, disaster management or prevention, assisted navigation, attack protection, and pollution monitoring. Similar to terrestrial wireless sensor networks (WSN), UWSNs consist of sensor nodes that collect the information and pass it to a base station; however, researchers have to face many challenges in executing the network in an aquatic medium. Energy-Efficient Underwater Wireless Communications and Networking is a crucial reference source that covers existing and future possibilities of the area as well as the current challenges presented in the implementation of underwater sensor networks. While highlighting topics such as digital signal processing, underwater localization, and acoustic channel modeling, this publication is ideally designed for machine learning experts, IT specialists, government agencies, oceanic engineers, communication experts, researchers, academicians, students, and environmental agencies concerned with optimized data flow in communication network, securing assets, and mitigating security attacks.

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.

The book discusses the opportunities and challenges of managing knowledge in the new reality of Industry 4.0. Addressing paradigmatic changes in value creation due to the development of digital technologies applied to manufacturing (additive manufacturing, IoT, robotics, etc.), it includes theoretical and empirical contributions on how Industry 4.0 technologies allow firms to create and exploit knowledge. The carefully selected expert contributions highlight the potential of these technologies in acquiring knowledge from a larger number of sources and examine approaches to innovation, organization of activities, and stakeholder development in the context of this next industrial revolution.

Typically, communication technology breakthroughs adding to the convenience of the user at home, work, or over cellular and mobile networks are widely heralded. Mobile communications in transportation systems are often overlooked, yet they are equally as important. Communication in Transportation Systems brilliantly bridges theoretical knowledge and practical applications of the cutting edge technologies for communication in automotive applications. This reference source carefully covers innovative technologies which will continue to advance transportation systems. Researchers, developers, scholars, engineers, and graduate students in the transportation and automotive system, communication, electrical, and information technology fields will especially benefit from this advanced publication.

The goal of this textbook is to provide enough background into the inner workings of the Internet to allow a novice to understand how the various protocols on the Internet work together to accomplish simple tasks, such as a search. By building an Internet with all the various services a person uses every day, one will gain an appreciation not only of the work that goes on unseen, but also of the choices made by designers to make life easier for the user. Each chapter consists of background information on a specific topic or Internet service, and where appropriate a final section on how to configure a Raspberry Pi to provide that service. While mainly meant as an undergraduate textbook for a course on networking or Internet protocols and services, it can also be used by anyone interested in the Internet as a step-by-step guide to building one's own Intranet, or as a reference guide as to how things work on the global Internet

Microwave tubes are vacuum electron devices used for the generation and amplification of radio frequencies in the microwave range. An established technology area, the use of tubes remains essential in the field today for high-power applications. The culmination of the author's 50 years of industry experience, this authoritative resource offers you a thorough understanding of the operations and major classes of microwave tubes. Minimizing the use of advanced mathematics, the book places emphasis on clear qualitative explanations of phenomena. This practical reference serves as an excellent introduction for newcomers to the field and offers established tube engineers a comprehensive refresher. Professionals find coverage of all major tube classifications, including klystrons, traveling wave tubes (TWTs), magnetrons, cross field amplifiers, and gyrotrons.

This book gives a comprehensive introduction to the field of photovoltaic (PV) solar cells and modules. In thirteen chapters, it addresses a wide range of topics including the spectrum of light received by PV devices, the basic functioning of a solar cell, and the physical factors limiting the efficiency of solar cells. It places particular emphasis on crystalline silicon solar cells and modules, which constitute today more than 90 % of all modules sold worldwide. Describing in great detail both the manufacturing process and resulting module performance, the book also touches on the newest developments in this sector, such as Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact (TOPCON) and heterojunction modules, while dedicating a major chapter to general questions of module design and fabrication. Overall, it presents the essential theoretical and practical concepts of PV solar cells and modules in an easy-to-understand manner and discusses current challenges facing the global research and development community.