This book offers a review of the use of extended ablation plasmas as nonlinear media for HHG of high-order harmonic generation (HHG). The book describes the different experimental approaches, shows the advantages and limitations regarding HHG efficiency and discusses the particular processes that take place at longer interaction lengths, including propagation and quasi-phase matching effects. It describes the most recent approaches to harmonic generation in the extreme ultraviolet (XUV) range with the use of extended plasma plumes, and how these differ from more commonly-used gas-jet sources. The main focus is on studies using extended plasmas, but some new findings from HHG experiments in narrow plasma plumes are also discussed. It also describes how quasi-phase-matching in modulated plasmas, as demonstrated in recent studies, has revealed different means of tuning enhanced harmonic groups in the XUV region. After an introduction to the fundamental theoretical and experimental aspects of HHG, a review of the most important results of HHG in narrow plasmas is presented, including recent studies of small-sized plasma plumes as emitters of high-order harmonics. In Chapter 2, various findings in the application of extended plasmas for harmonic generation are analyzed. One of the most important applications of extended plasmas, the quasi-phase-matching of generated harmonics, is demonstrated in Chapter 3, including various approaches to the modification of perforated plasma plumes. Chapter 4 depicts the nonlinear optical features of extended plasmas produced on the surfaces of different non-metal materials. Chapter 5 is dedicated to the analysis of new opportunities for extended plasma induced HHG. The advantages of the application of long plasma plumes for HHG, such as resonance enhancement and double-pulse method, are discussed in Chapter 6. Finally, a summary section brings together all of these findings and discuss the perspectives of extended plasma formations for efficient HHG and nonlinear optical plasma spectroscopy. The book will be useful for students and scholars working in this highly multidisciplinary domain involving material science, nonlinear optics and laser spectroscopy. It brings the new researcher to the very frontier of the physics of the interaction between laser and extended plasma; for the expert it will serve as an essential guide and indicate directions for future research.

This thesis experimentally demonstrates the much discussed electronic charge-glass states in solids. It focuses on quasi-two-dimensional organic conductors of the -(BEDT-TTF)2X family, which form anisotropic triangular lattices, and examines their electronic properties using various measurements: resistivity, time-resolved electric transport, X-ray diffraction analysis, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The hallmark of the charge glass caused by geometrical frustration of lattice structure for those materials is successfully observed for the first time. The thesis provides new insights into the exotic properties of matter driven by strong electron correlations and crystalline frustration. The introduction enables beginners to understand fundamentals of the charge-glass states and the organic-conductor family -(BEDT-TTF)2X. The comprehensive and detailed descriptions of the experimental demonstration make this a valuable resource.

This book reports on an outstanding thesis that has significantly advanced the state-of-the-art in the automated analysis and classification of speech and music. It defines several standard acoustic parameter sets and describes their implementation in a novel, open-source, audio analysis framework called openSMILE, which has been accepted and intensively used worldwide. The book offers extensive descriptions of key methods for the automatic classification of speech and music signals in real-life conditions and reports on the evaluation of the framework developed and the acoustic parameter sets that were selected. It is not only intended as a manual for openSMILE users, but also and primarily as a guide and source of inspiration for students and scientists involved in the design of speech and music analysis methods that can robustly handle real-life conditions.

Microelectromechanical sytems (MEMS) applications in RF and microwave electronics are revolutionizing wireless communications. This text provides a comprehensive explanation of the fabrication and fundamental physics of MEMS and their applications in electronic communication systems. The book integrates circuit fabrication technology, device design-oriented materials, mechanical and microwave considerations, and RF/microwave electronics to give engineers and managers a clear understanding of the potential and limitations of MEMS in electronic communications.

In the face of today's environmental and economic challenges, doomsayers preach that the only way to stave off disaster is for humans to reverse course: to de-industrialize, re-localize, ban the use of modern energy sources, and forswear prosperity. But in this provocative and optimistic rebuke to the catastrophists, Robert Bryce shows how innovation and the inexorable human desire to make things Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper is providing consumers with Cheaper and more abundant energy, Faster computing, Lighter vehicles, and myriad other goods. That same desire is fostering unprecedented prosperity, greater liberty, and yes, better environmental protection.Utilizing on-the-ground reporting from Ottawa to Panama City and Pittsburgh to Bakersfield, Bryce shows how we have, for centuries, been pushing for Smaller Faster solutions to our problems. From the vacuum tube, mass-produced fertilizer, and the printing press to mobile phones, nanotech, and advanced drill rigs, Bryce demonstrates how cutting-edge companies and breakthrough technologies have created a world in which people are living longer, freer, healthier, lives than at any time in human history.The push toward Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper is happening across multiple sectors. Bryce profiles innovative individuals and companies, from long-established ones like Ford and Intel to upstarts like Aquion Energy and Khan Academy. And he zeroes in on the energy industry, proving that the future belongs to the high power density sources that can provide the enormous quantities of energy the world demands.The tools we need to save the planet aren't to be found in the technologies or lifestyles of the past. Nor must we sacrifice prosperity and human progress to ensure our survival. The catastrophists have been wrong since the days of Thomas Malthus. This is the time to embrace the innovators and businesses all over the world who are making things Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper.

This book focuses on two of the most relevant problems related to power management on multicore and manycore systems. Specifically, one part of the book focuses on maximizing/optimizing computational performance under power or thermal constraints, while another part focuses on minimizing energy consumption under performance (or real-time) constraints.

This book is an in-depth treatment of the theoretical background relevant to an understanding of materials that can be obtained by using high-energy electron diffraction and microscopy.

This book analyzes the wireless revolution: from applications to technology, and from economics to system engineering.

Focussing on the key technologies in developing robots for a wide range of medical rehabilitation activities - which will include robotics basics, modelling and control, biomechanics modelling, rehabilitation strategies, robot assistance, clinical setup/implementation as well as neural and muscular interfaces for rehabilitation robot control - this book is split into two parts; a review of the current state of the art, and recent advances in robotics for medical rehabilitation. Both parts will include five sections for the five key areas in rehabilitation robotics: (i) the upper limb; (ii) lower limb for gait rehabilitation (iii) hand, finger and wrist; (iv) ankle for strains and sprains; and (v) the use of EEG and EMG to create interfaces between the neurological and muscular functions of the patients and the rehabilitation robots. Each chapter provides a description of the design of the device, the control system used, and the implementation and testing to show how it fulfils the needs of that specific area of rehabilitation. The book will detail new devices, some of which have never been published before in any journal or conference.

This book focuses on the design of Robotic Flexible Assembly Cell (RFAC) with multi-robots. Its main contribution consists of a new effective strategy for scheduling RFAC in a multi-product assembly environment, in which dynamic status and multi-objective optimization problems occur. The developed strategy, which is based on a combination of advanced solution approaches such as simulation, fuzzy logic, system modeling and the Taguchi optimization method, fills an important knowledge gap in the current literature and paves the way for future research towards the goal of employing flexible assembly systems as effectively as possible despite the complexity of their scheduling.

This book provides readers with a comprehensive treatment of the principles, circuit design techniques, and applications of injection-locking in mixed-mode signal processing, with an emphasis on CMOS implementation. Major topics include: An overview of injection-locking, the principle of injection-locking in harmonic and non-harmonic oscillators, lock range enhancement techniques for harmonic oscillators, lock range enhancement techniques for non-harmonic oscillators, and the emerging applications of injection-locking in mixed-mode signal processing. Provides a single-source reference to the principles, circuit design techniques, and applications of injection-locking in mixed-mode signal processing; Includes a rich collection of design techniques for increasing the lock range of oscillators under injection, along with in-depth examination of the pros and cons of these methods; Enables a broad range of applications, such as passive wireless microsystems, forwarded-clock parallel data links, frequency synthesizers for wireless and wireline communications, and low phase noise phase-locked loops.

Robust and Fault-Tolerant Control proposes novel automatic control strategies for nonlinear systems developed by means of artificial neural networks and pays special attention to robust and fault-tolerant approaches. The book discusses robustness and fault tolerance in the context of model predictive control, fault accommodation and reconfiguration, and iterative learning control strategies. Expanding on its theoretical deliberations the monograph includes many case studies demonstrating how the proposed approaches work in practice. The most important features of the book include: a comprehensive review of neural network architectures with possible applications in system modelling and control; a concise introduction to robust and fault-tolerant control; step-by-step presentation of the control approaches proposed; an abundance of case studies illustrating the important steps in designing robust and fault-tolerant control; and a large number of figures and tables facilitating the performance analysis of the control approaches described. The material presented in this book will be useful for researchers and engineers who wish to avoid spending excessive time in searching neural-network-based control solutions. It is written for electrical, computer science and automatic control engineers interested in control theory and their applications. This monograph will also interest postgraduate students engaged in self-study of nonlinear robust and fault-tolerant control.

Control of Discrete-Time Descriptor Systems takes an anisotropy-based approach to the explanation of random input disturbance with an information-theoretic representation. It describes the random input signal more precisely, and the anisotropic norm minimization included in the book enables readers to tune their controllers better through the mathematical methods provided. The book contains numerous examples of practical applications of descriptor systems in various fields, from robotics to economics, and presents an information-theoretic approach to the mathematical description of coloured noise. Anisotropy-based analysis and design for descriptor systems is supplied along with proofs of basic statements, which help readers to understand the algorithms proposed, and to undertake their own numerical simulations. This book serves as a source of ideas for academic researchers and postgraduate students working in the control of discrete-time systems. The control design procedures outlined are numerically effective and easily implementable in MATLAB (R)

This book provides a general and comprehensible overview of imbalanced learning. It contains a formal description of a problem, and focuses on its main features, and the most relevant proposed solutions. Additionally, it considers the different scenarios in Data Science for which the imbalanced classification can create a real challenge. This book stresses the gap with standard classification tasks by reviewing the case studies and ad-hoc performance metrics that are applied in this area. It also covers the different approaches that have been traditionally applied to address the binary skewed class distribution. Specifically, it reviews cost-sensitive learning, data-level preprocessing methods and algorithm-level solutions, taking also into account those ensemble-learning solutions that embed any of the former alternatives. Furthermore, it focuses on the extension of the problem for multi-class problems, where the former classical methods are no longer to be applied in a straightforward way. This book also focuses on the data intrinsic characteristics that are the main causes which, added to the uneven class distribution, truly hinders the performance of classification algorithms in this scenario. Then, some notes on data reduction are provided in order to understand the advantages related to the use of this type of approaches. Finally this book introduces some novel areas of study that are gathering a deeper attention on the imbalanced data issue. Specifically, it considers the classification of data streams, non-classical classification problems, and the scalability related to Big Data. Examples of software libraries and modules to address imbalanced classification are provided. This book is highly suitable for technical professionals, senior undergraduate and graduate students in the areas of data science, computer science and engineering. It will also be useful for scientists and researchers to gain insight on the current developments in this area of study, as well as future research directions.

This book explores different aspects of LA-ICP-MS (laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry). It presents a large array of new analytical protocols for elemental or isotope analysis. LA-ICP-MS is a powerful tool that combines a sampling device able to remove very small quantities of material without leaving visible damage at the surface of an object. Furthermore, it functions as a sensitive analytical instrument that measures, within a few seconds, a wide range of isotopes in inorganic samples. Determining the elemental or the isotopic composition of ancient material is essential to address questions related to ancient technology or provenance and therefore aids archaeologists in reconstructing exchange networks for goods, people and ideas. Recent improvements of LA-ICP-MS have opened new avenues of research that are explored in this volume.

The IoT is the inter-networking of connected and smart devices, buildings, vehicles and other items which are embedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators, and network connectivity that enable these objects to collect and exchange data. A sensor is a detection device that measures, records, or responds to a physical property. Sensors represent the front end of information processing. Progress in communication technologies is part of the multi-factorial advances in electronics, sensors, embedded computing, signal processing and machine learning methods that has led to the development of new capabilities in the IoT. This edited book focuses on the technologies constituting the IoT from a sensor perspective, for an audience of researchers, scientists, engineers and graduate students with an interest in the field. Applications covered include connected sensors for smart cities, energy infrastructure, emergency management, and smart ports.

This thesis presents the first comprehensive analysis of quantum cascade laser nonlinear dynamics and includes the first observation of a temporal chaotic behavior in quantum cascade lasers. It also provides the first analysis of optical instabilities in the mid-infrared range. Mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers are unipolar semiconductor lasers, which have become widely used in applications such as gas spectroscopy, free-space communications or optical countermeasures. Applying external perturbations such as optical feedback or optical injection leads to a strong modification of the quantum cascade laser properties. Optical feedback impacts the static properties of mid-infrared Fabry-Perot and distributed feedback quantum cascade lasers, inducing power increase; threshold reduction; modification of the optical spectrum, which can become either single- or multimode; and enhanced beam quality in broad-area transverse multimode lasers. It also leads to a different dynamical behavior, and a quantum cascade laser subject to optical feedback can oscillate periodically or even become chaotic. A quantum cascade laser under external control could therefore be a source with enhanced properties for the usual mid-infrared applications, but could also address new applications such as tunable photonic oscillators, extreme events generators, chaotic Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR), chaos-based secured communications or unpredictable countermeasures.

This book presents a collection of invited research and review contributions on recent advances in (mainly) theoretical condensed matter physics, theoretical chemistry, and theoretical physics. The volume celebrates the 90th birthday of N.H. March (Emeritus Professor, Oxford University, UK), a prominent figure in all of these fields. Given the broad range of interests in the research activity of Professor March, who collaborated with a number of eminent scientists in physics and chemistry, the volume embraces quite diverse topics in physics and chemistry, at various dimensions and energy scales. One thread connecting all these topics is correlation in aggregated states of matter, ranging from nuclear physics to molecules, clusters, disordered condensed phases such as the liquid state, and solid state physics, and the various phase transitions, both structural and electronic, occurring therein. A final chapter leaps to an even larger scale of matter aggregation, namely the universe and gravitation. A further no less important common thread is methodological, with the application of theoretical physics and chemistry, particularly density functional theory and statistical field theory, to both nuclear and condensed matter.

An increasing complexity of models used to predict real-world systems leads to the need for algorithms to replace complex models with far simpler ones, while preserving the accuracy of the predictions. This two-volume handbook covers methods as well as applications. This first volume focuses on real-time control theory, data assimilation, real-time visualization, high-dimensional state spaces and interaction of different reduction techniques.

This book discusses the architecture of modern automated systems for spectrum monitoring including automation components: technical means for spectrum monitoring, special software and engineering infrastructure. The problems of automated system development for search and localization of unauthorized radio emission sources in open localities, mathematical methods and algorithms for modulation of parameter measurements for wireless communication as well as issues of identification and localization of radio emission sources are considered. Constructive solutions and modern technical means for radio monitoring and their application are given. Numerous examples are described for the implementation of automated systems, digital radio receivers and radio direction-finders, analyzers of parameters for GSM, CDMA, LTE, DVB-T/T2, Wi-Fi, DMR, P25, TETRA and DECT signals. Practical implementations of the described methods are presented in applied software packages and in radio monitoring equipment.

This book examines some of the underlying processes behind different forms of information management, including how we store information in our brains, the impact of new technologies such as computers and robots on our efficiency in storing information, and how information is stored in families and in society. The editors brought together experts from a variety of disciplines. While it is generally agreed that information reduces uncertainties and that the ability to store it safely is of vital importance, these authors are open to different meanings of "information": computer science considers the bit as the information block; neuroscience emphasizes the importance of information as sensory inputs that are processed and transformed in the brain; theories in psychology focus more on individual learning and on the acquisition of knowledge; and finally sociology looks at how interpersonal processes within groups or society itself come to the fore. The book will be of value to researchers and students in the areas of information theory, artificial intelligence, and computational neuroscience.

Collisional Electron Detachment in Dielectric Gases.- A Technique for the Measurement of Electron Attachment to Short-Lived Excited Species.- Total Cross Sections for Electron Scattering and Attachment for SF6 and Its Electrical-Discharge By-Products.- Electron Localization Effects and Resonant Attachment to O2 Impurities in Highly Compressed Neon Gas.- Temperature Dependence of the Dissociative Electron Attachment to CH3Cl and C2H5Cl.- Multibody Electron Capture Processes in the Gas Phase.- Leader Breakdown in Compressed SF6: Recent Concepts and Understanding.- Electrical Breakdown in the Space Environment.- Positive Synergism and Time-Resolved Swarm Experiments.- Discharge Development in Air at Very High Humidity Levels.- Negative $$\bar \eta$$ Synergism in CF2Cl2-N2 and CF2Cl2-CO2 Gas Mixtures.- Excitation and Ionisation in the Transient State Discharge in Pure Nitrogen.- Discussion of Some Space-Charge Effects in the Context of Low-Temperature and High-Field Steady-State Gas Discharges.- Non-equilibrium Effects in the Initiation of Pseudospark Discharges.- Dissociation Processes in Plasma Chemistry and Gaseous Dielectrics.- The Calculation of Leader Propagation in Point/Plane Gaps Under Very Fast Transient Stress.- Fractal Description of Electrical Discharges.- A Two-Dimensional Simulation of A Hollow-Cathode Discharge.- Similarities Between High Electric Field Electron Emission and Consequent Breakdown Processes in Compressed Gases and Vacuo.- Liquid Breakdown and Its Relation to Gas Breakdown.- Corona Discharges in Liquid and Gaseous Hydrocarbons: The Influence of Pressure.- Electron Drift Velocities in Fast Dielectric Liquids and Their Vapors.- Gas Breakdown and Its Relation to Vacuum and Liquid Breakdown Under The Influence of Electric and Magnetic Field.- Measurement of the Figure of Merit M for Several SF6-Based Binary Gas Mixtures.- Mode Transitions in Hollow-Cathode Discharges.- Formation of Cathode Spots by Unipolar Arcing.- Detachment of Electrons From Negative Ions in Electrical Discharges.- Time Lags and Optical Investigations of Pre-Discharge in SF6/N2 - Mixtures at Very Fast Transient Voltages.- Non-Uniform Field Flashover Characteristics in SF6 Gas Under Negative Steep-Front and Oscillating Impulse Voltages.- Breakdown Characteristics of Non-Uniform Gaps in SF6 Under Fast Oscillating Impulse Voltages.- The Effect of Leader Propagation on the V-t Curves Under LI and VFT in GIS.- Insulating Characteristics of Small SF6 Gas Gaps Under Lightning Impulse Voltages.- Low and High Voltage Distribution Along a Cap and Pin Insulator String Subjected to AC and Impulse Voltages.- Starting Processes and the Influence of the Radioactivity of Thorium on the Statistical Lag Time in Metal Halide Lamps.- Breakdown of Air Gaps Under Oscillatory Simulated Switching Surges.- Gas-Solid Interface Emissions Determined by the ESAW Charge Detection Method.- Contribution of a Solid Insulator to an Electron Avalanche in Nitrogen Gas.- Impulse Surface Charging and Flashover.- Particle-Initiated Prebreakdown Characteristics With An Insulator Stressed on 60 Hz Voltage in SF6.- High Power Gaseous Opening and Closing Switches.- Laser Triggering of Gas Filled Spark Gaps.- A New Approach for an Opening Switch for Repetitive Operations.- A Macroscopic Gas Breakdown Relationship.- Mitigation of Potential Health Hazards of Transmission Line Fields.- Electric and Magnetic Fields: An Engineer's Perspective.- Relative Potency as a Means of Evaluating ELF Health Risks.- Influence of Memory on the Statistics of Pulsating Corona.- Pulsed Corona Experiments.- Current Stability of Negative Corona Discharges in SF6 and Delayed Spark Breakdown.- Verification of Direct-Current Corona Models Employing the Deutsch Approximation.- Frequency Effects in Alternating Current Corona.- A Mass Spectrometer Study of Ionization in SF6 Corona: Influence of Water and Neutral By-Products.- High Voltage DC Gas Insulation - A World-Wide Review.- Gas-Insulated Substation...

This book focuses on small flying drones and their applications in conducting geographic surveys. Scholars and professionals will discover the potential of this tool, and hopefully develop a conceptual and methodological framework for doing the following things: a) Translate their data acquisition needs into specifications. (b) Use the developed specifications to choose the best accessible configuration for their drones, and (c) Design and organize effective and low-cost field deployment and flight operations by integrating technical aspects with regulatory and research requirements. Readers can apply this knowledge to work in cartography, environmental monitoring and analysis, land-use studies and landscape archaeology. Particular attention is also given to the reasons why a drone can dramatically boost a geographer's capability to understand geographic phenomena both from hard-science and humanities-oriented approach.