This book tells the story of the scientific talent and technological prowess of two nations that joined forces to connect themselves with a communications cable that would change the world. In 1855 an American visionary named Cyrus West Field, who knew nothing about telegraphy, sought to establish a monopoly on telegraphic revenues between North America and Europe. Field and the wealthy New Yorkers who formed the first Atlantic cable-laying company never suspected that spanning the vast and stormy Atlantic would require 11 years of frustration and horrific financial sacrifice. The enterprise would eventually engage some of the most brilliant minds in England, Scotland, and the United States, attracting men of science, men of wealth, and men of curiosity. Message time would be cut from more than four weeks to about two minutes. Such a feat would not have been possible without the massive ship the Great Eastern, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Britain's foremost engineer, or the financial backing of Thomas Brassey, the era's greatest builder of railroads. Despite four failed attempts and the enmity that developed between the Union and Great Britain during America's Civil War, Field never stopped urging his British friends to perfect a cable that could function in water as deep as two and a half miles. Without the unified effort of this small cadre of determined engineers, decades may have passed before submarine cables became reliable. This is the story of these men, their ships, and the technology that made it all possible. Behind the scenes were tough and worthy competitors who tried to beat them to the punch, adding a sense of urgency to their monumental task. Some called theAtlantic cable the greatest feat of the 19th century--with good reason. It perfected transoceanic communications and connected the world with circuits in the sea.

Foundations of Digital Signal Processing: Theory, algorithms and hardware design starts by introducing the mathematical foundations of DSP, assuming little prior knowledge of the subject from the reader, and moves on to discuss more complex topics such as Fourier, Laplace and digital filtering. It provides detailed information on off-line, real-time and DSP programming, and guides the reader through advanced topics such as DSP hardware design, FIR and IIR filter design and difference equation manipulation. A CD accompanies the book. It provides the reader with programs that demonstrate equations discussed in the text and source codes to enable the reader to incorporate algorithms into their own DSP programs.

Steganography, a means by which two or more parties may communicate using "invisible" or "subliminal" communication, and watermarking, a means of hiding copyright data in images, are becoming necessary components of commercial multimedia applications that are subject to illegal use. This is a comprehensive survey of steganography and watermarking and their application to modern communications and multimedia. It helps the reader to understand steganography, the history of this previously neglected element of cryptography, the hurdles of international law on strong cryptographic techniques, and a description of the methods you can use to hide information in modern media. Included in this discussion is an overview of "steganalysis", methods which can be used to break stenographic communication. This resource also includes an introduction to and survey of watermarking methods, and discusses this method's similarities to and differences from steganography. The reader should gain a working knowledge of watermarking's pros and cons, and learn the legal implications of watermarking and copyright issues on the Internet.

Faithful communication is a necessary precondition for large-scale quantum information processing and networking, irrespective of the physical platform. Thus, the problems of quantum-state transfer and quantum-network engineering have attracted enormous interest over the last years, and constitute one of the most active areas of research in quantum information processing. The present volume introduces the reader to fundamental concepts and various aspects of this exciting research area, including links to other related areas and problems. The implementation of state-transfer schemes and the engineering of quantum networks are discussed in the framework of various quantum optical and condensed matter systems, emphasizing the interdisciplinary character of the research area. Each chapter is a review of theoretical or experimental achievements on a particular topic, written by leading scientists in the field. The volume aims at both newcomers as well as experienced researchers.

This book provides an overview of positioning technologies, applications and services in a format accessible to a wide variety of readers. Readers who have always wanted to understand how satellite-based positioning, wireless network positioning, inertial navigation, and their combinations work will find great value in this book. Readers will also learn about the advantages and disadvantages of different positioning methods, their limitations and challenges. Cognitive positioning, adding the brain to determine which technologies to use at device runtime, is introduced as well. Coverage also includes the use of position information for Location Based Services (LBS), as well as context-aware positioning services, designed for better user experience.

The Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) represents the current position in about a hundred years of evolutionary growth of the worldwide telecommunications infrastructure. This evolution is by no means complete and the next few years will see the emergence of a "Broad-band" ISDN as the next stage of evolutionary development. It is important to appreciate the evolutionary nature of the telecommunications infrastructure if one is to properly understand much of the thinking that lies behind the current ISDN proposals. This book therefore begins with a number of chapters devoted to a study of the various developments which have eventually led to the concept of an integrated digital network. These include the development of digital transmission of speech using PCM and the development of digital switching techniques based on stored program control. The book then turns to a consideration of those features of the existing telecommunications network which need to be modified in order to make ISDN a realizable practicality. Of particular importance is the digitization of transmission over the links between the user and the local exchange. Next we look at the current practice and proposals for ISDN based on the technology presently in use in the telephone network. Finally, we look at the proposals for a broadband ISDN likely to become widely available by the turn of the century.

This thesis discusses the privacy issues in speech-based applications such as biometric authentication, surveillance, and external speech processing services. Author Manas A. Pathak presents solutions for privacy-preserving speech processing applications such as speaker verification, speaker identification and speech recognition. The author also introduces some of the tools from cryptography and machine learning and current techniques for improving the efficiency and scalability of the presented solutions. Experiments with prototype implementations of the solutions for execution time and accuracy on standardized speech datasets are also included in the text. Using the framework proposed may now make it possible for a surveillance agency to listen for a known terrorist without being able to hear conversation from non-targeted, innocent civilians."

In response to the increasing interest in developing photonic switching fabrics, this book gives an overview of the many technologies from a systems designer's perspective. Optically transparent devices, optical logic devices, and optical hardware are all discussed in detail and set into a systems context. Comprehensive, up-to-date, and profusely illustrated, the work will provide a foundation for the field, especially as broadband services are more fully developed.

Next-generation high-speed Internet backbone networks will be required to support a broad range of emerging applications which may not only require significant bandwidth, but may also have strict quality of service (QoS) requirements. Furthermore, the traffic from such applications are expected to be highly bursty in nature. For such traffic, the allocation of static fixed-bandwidth circuits may lead to the over-provisioning of bandwidth resources in order to meet QoS requirements.

Optical burst switching (OBS) is a promising new technique which attempts to address the problem of efficiently allocating resources for bursty traffic. In OBS, incoming data is assembled into bursts at the edges of the network, and when the burst is ready to be sent, resources in the network are reserved only for the duration of the burst. The reservation of resources is typically made by an out-of-band one-way control message which precedes the burst by some offset time. By reserving resources only for the duration of the burst, a greater degree of utilization may be achieved in the network.

This book provides an overview of optical burst switching. Design and research issues involved in the development of OBS networks are discussed, and approaches to providing QoS in OBS networks are presented. Topics include:

- Optical burst switching node and network architectures

- Burst assembly

- Signaling protocols

- Contention resolution

- Burst scheduling

- Quality of service in OBS networks

In our increasingly mobile world the ability to access information on demand at any time and place can satisfy people's information needs as well as confer on them a competitive advantage. The emergence of battery-operated, low-cost and portable computers such as palmtops and PDAs, coupled with the availability and exploitation of wireless networks, have made possible the potential for ubiquitous computing. Through the wireless networks, portable equipments will become an integrated part of existing distributed computing environments, and mobile users can have access to data stored at information servers located at the static portion of the network even while they are on the move. Traditionally, information is retrieved following a request-response model. However, this model is no longer adequate in a wireless computing environment. First, the wireless channel is unreliable and the bandwidth is low compared to the wired counterpart. Second, the environment is essentially asymmetric with a large number of mobile users accessing a small number of servers. Third, battery-operated portable devices can typically operate only for a short time because of the short battery lifespan. Thus, clients are expected to be disconnected most of the time. To overcome these limitations, there has been a proliferation of research efforts on designing data delivery mechanisms to support wireless computing more effectively. Data Dissemination in Wireless Computing Environments focuses on such mechanisms. The purpose is to provide a thorough and comprehensive review of recent advances on energy-efficient data delivery protocols, efficient wireless channel bandwidth utilization, reliable broadcasting and cache invalidation strategies for clients with long disconnection time. Besides surveying existing methods, this book also compares and evaluates some of the more promising schemes.

This graduate-level text lays out the foundation of DSP for audio and the fundamentals of auditory perception, then goes on to discuss immersive audio rendering and synthesis, the digital equalization of room acoustics, and various DSP implementations. It covers a variety of topics and up-to-date results in immersive audio processing research: immersive audio synthesis and rendering, multichannel room equalization, audio selective signal cancellation, multirate signal processing for audio applications, surround sound processing, psychoacoustics and its incorporation in audio signal processing algorithms for solving various problems, and DSP implementations of audio processing algorithms on semiconductor devices.

Designed for non-specialists, this easy-to-read new edition provides a comprehensive and coherent account of static electric phenomena and concepts based on a mathematical-physical approach. It has been updated to include new and expanded material ranging from charge decay to electrostatic measurements.

This is an in-depth study of the various technologies, services, and performance issues associated with networked multi-media systems. Prepared by 28 industry and academic leaders worldwide, this reference helps communications engineers understand the impact of fast-moving broadband communications technology on networked multimedia services, and how multimedia applications affect network design. It also provides research and development personnel with the practical information needed to support a wide variety of multimedia services, and how multimedia applications affect network design. In 11 chapters, the reader should learn of developments in network traffic control and also: wireless/wireline multimedia technology and applications; networked multimedia standards, requirements and planning/security issues; transmission, switching, and OA&M technologies; software architectures designed to support multimedia services; and the hypes and realities behind the next generation of multimedia.

Rapid Prototyping of Application Specific Signal Processors presents leading-edge research that focuses on design methodology, infrastructure support and scalable architectures developed by the 150 million dollar DARPA United States Department of Defense RASSP Program. The contributions to this edited work include an introductory overview chapter that explains the origin, concepts and status of this effort. The RASSP Program is a multi-year DARPA/Tri-Service initiative intended to dramatically improve the process by which complex digital systems, particularly embedded signal processors, are designed, manufactured, upgraded and supported. This program was originally driven by military applications for signal processing. The requirements of military applications for real-time signal processing are typically more demanding than those of commercial applications, but the time gap between technology employed in advanced military prototypes and commercial products is narrowing rapidly. The research on methodologies, infrastructure and architectures presented in this book is applicable to commercial signal processing systems that are in design now, or will be developed before the end of the decade. Rapid Prototyping of Application Specific Signal Processors is a valuable reference for developers of embedded digital systems, particularly systems engineers for signal processing systems (such as digital TV, biomedical image processing systems and telecommunications) and for military contractors who are developing signal processing systems. This book will also be of interest to managers who are charged with responsibility for creating and maintaining environments and infrastructures for developing large embedded digital systems. The chief value for managers will be the defining of methods and processes that reduce development time and cost.

This book gives a thorough explanation of standardization, its processes, its life cycle, and its related organization on a national, regional and global level. The book provides readers with an insight in the interaction cycle between standardization organizations, government, industry, and consumers. The readers can gain a clear insight to standardization and innovation process, standards, and innovations life-cycle and the related organizations with all presented material in the field of information and communications technologies. The book introduces the reader to understand perpetual play of standards and innovation cycle, as the basis for the modern world.

DSP System Design presents the investigation of special type of IIR polyphase filter structures combined with frequency transformation techniques used for fast, multi-rate filtering, and their application for custom fixed-point implementation. Detailed theoretical analysis of the polyphase IIR structure has been presented for two and three coefficients in the two-path arrangement. This was then generalized for arbitrary filter order and any number of paths. The use of polyphase IIR structures in decimation and interpolation is being presented and performance assessed in terms of the number of calculations required for the given filter specification and the simplicity of implementation. Specimen decimation filter designs to be used in Sigma-Delta lowpass and bandpass A/D converters are presented which prove to outperform other traditional approaches.

New frequency transformation types have been suggested for both real and complex situations. A new exact multi-point frequency transformation approach for arbitrary frequency choice has been suggested and evaluated. Applying such transformations to the existing filter allows to change their frequency response in an intuitive manner without the need of re-designing them, thus simplifying the designer's job when the specification changes during the prototyping and testing.

A new bit-flipping' algorithm has been developed to aid in filter design where the coefficient word length is constraint. Also, the standard Downhill Simplex Method (floating-point) was modified to operate with the constrained coefficient word length. Performance of both these advances is being evaluated on a number of filter cases. Novel decimation and interpolation structures have been proposed, which can be implemented very efficiently. These allow an arbitrary order IIR anti-aliasing filter to operate at the lower rate of the decimator/interpolator. Similar structures for polyphase IIR decimator/interpolator structures are being discussed too.

A new approach to digital filter design and implementation has been suggested which speeds-up silicon implementation of designs developed in Matlab. The Simulink block description is converted automatically into a bit-to-bit equivalent VHDL description. This in turn can be compiled, simulated, synthesized and fabricated without the need to go through the design process twice, first algorithmic/structural design and then the implementation.

The book is full of design and analysis techniques. It contains sufficient introductory material enabling non-expert readers to understand the material given in it.

DSP System Design may be of interest to graduate students, researchers, and professionals circuit designers, who would require fast and low-complexity digital filters for both single and multi-rate applications, especially those with low-power specification.

This book presents a number of research efforts in combining AI methods or techniques to solve complex problems in various areas. The combination of different intelligent methods is an active research area in artificial intelligence (AI), since it is believed that complex problems can be more easily solved with integrated or hybrid methods, such as combinations of different soft computing methods (fuzzy logic, neural networks, and evolutionary algorithms) among themselves or with hard AI technologies like logic and rules; machine learning with soft computing and classical AI methods; and agent-based approaches with logic and non-symbolic approaches. Some of the combinations are already extensively used, including neuro-symbolic methods, neuro-fuzzy methods, and methods combining rule-based and case-based reasoning. However, other combinations are still being investigated, such as those related to the semantic web, deep learning and swarm intelligence algorithms. Most are connected with specific applications, while the rest are based on principles.

Herb Caen, a popular columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, recently quoted a Voice of America press release as saying that it was reorganizing in order to "eliminate duplication and redundancy. " This quote both states a goal of data compression and illustrates its common need: the removal of duplication (or redundancy) can provide a more efficient representation of data and the quoted phrase is itself a candidate for such surgery. Not only can the number of words in the quote be reduced without losing informa tion, but the statement would actually be enhanced by such compression since it will no longer exemplify the wrong that the policy is supposed to correct. Here compression can streamline the phrase and minimize the em barassment while improving the English style. Compression in general is intended to provide efficient representations of data while preserving the essential information contained in the data. This book is devoted to the theory and practice of signal compression, i. e., data compression applied to signals such as speech, audio, images, and video signals (excluding other data types such as financial data or general purpose computer data). The emphasis is on the conversion of analog waveforms into efficient digital representations and on the compression of digital information into the fewest possible bits. Both operations should yield the highest possible reconstruction fidelity subject to constraints on the bit rate and implementation complexity."

This book originated from a workshop held at the DATE 2005 conference, namely Designing Complex SOCs. It is a state-of-the-art in issues related to System-on-Chip (SoC) design by leading experts in the fields, and covers IP development, verification, integration, chip implementation, testing and software. SOC design is fast becoming the key area of focus that engineers and researchers from the Electronic Design Automation field are focussing on in their quest to further develop Integrated Circuit technology. The more systems and even networks that we can integrate on one piece of silicon, the faster, cheaper, more powerful and efficient the technology will become. Essential Issues in SOC Design contains valuable academic and industrial examples for those involved with the design of complex SOCs, all contributors are selected from a region of the world that is generally known to lead the SOC-Revolution, namely Asia.

Applied Cyber-Physical Systems presents the latest methods and technologies in the area of cyber-physical systems including medical and biological applications. Cyber-physical systems (CPS) integrate computing and communication capabilities by monitoring, and controlling the physical systems via embedded hardware and computers. This book brings together unique contributions from renowned experts on cyber-physical systems research and education with applications. It also addresses the major challenges in CPS, and then provides a resolution with various diverse applications as examples. Advanced-level students and researchers focused on computer science, engineering and biomedicine will find this to be a useful secondary text book or reference, as will professionals working in this field.

The book is a compilation of high-quality scientific papers presented at the 3rd International Conference on Computer & Communication Technologies (IC3T 2016). The individual papers address cutting-edge technologies and applications of soft computing, artificial intelligence and communication. In addition, a variety of further topics are discussed, which include data mining, machine intelligence, fuzzy computing, sensor networks, signal and image processing, human-computer interaction, web intelligence, etc. As such, it offers readers a valuable and unique resource.

In many international settings, regional economies are declining resulting in lowered opportunities for these communities. This result attacks the very fabric of cohesion and purpose for these regional societies, and increases social, health, economic and sustainability problems. Community informatics research, education and practice is an emerging area in many countries, which seeks to address these issues. The primary objective of Using Community Informatics to Transform Regions is to provide leaders, policy developers, researchers, students and community workers with successful strategies and principles of Community Informatics to transform regions. This book embraces an integrative cross-sectoral approach in the use of Community Informatics to increase both social and cultural capital as a means to increased sustainability for regional communities.

This book presents a selection of expanded research papers from the Fourth IFIP Workshop on the Performance Modelling and Evaluation of ATM Networks. It provides a fundamental source of reference on the latest research techniques and tools concerning ATM networks worldwide. A number of important topics are featured including: traffic modelling and characterisation, models of ATM switches, network management, high speed LANs and MANs and routing and optimization.

The application of computational electromagnetics to real-world EMI/EMC engineering is an emerging technology. With the advancement in electronics, EMI/EMC issues have greatly increased in complexity. As a result, it is no longer possible to rely exclusively on traditional techniques and expect cost-effective solutions. The first edition of this book introduced computational electromagnetics to EMI/EMC engineering. This second edition continues the introduction of computational electromagnetics to EMI/EMC engineering, but also adds new modeling techniques, namely the Partial Element Equivalent Circuit method and the Transmission Line Matrix method, and updates to the science of EMI/EMC modeling that have occurred since the first edition was published. This book combines the essential elements of electromagnetic theory, computational techniques, and EMI/EMC engineering as they apply to computational modeling for EMI/EMC applications. It is intended to provide an understanding for those interested in incorporating modeling techniques in their work. A variety of modeling techniques are needed for anyone interested in using computational modeling in the real world. This book includes an introduction of all the popular modeling techniques, such as the Finite-Difference Time-Domain method, the Method of Moments, the Finite Element Method, the Partial Element Equivalent Circuit method and the Transmission Line Matrix method. EMI/EMC Computational Modeling Handbook, Second Edition will serve many different levels of readers. It will serve as a basic introduction to modeling as applied to EMI/EMC problems for the engineer interested in getting started, and it will help the person already using modeling as a tool to become more effective in using different modeling techniques. It will also be useful for the engineer who is familiar with computational techniques and wishes to apply them to EMI/EMC applications. This book can also be used as a text to help students of electromagnetic theory and application better understand real-world challenges facing engineers.

This volume offers the proceedings of the 2nd UNet conference, held in Casablanca May 30 - June 1, 2016. It presents new trends and findings in hot topics related to ubiquitous computing/networking, covered in three tracks and three special sessions: Main Track 1: Context-Awareness and Autonomy Paradigms Track Main Track 2: Mobile Edge Networking and Virtualization Track Main Track 3: Enablers, Challenges and Applications Special Session 1: Smart Cities and Urban Informatics for Sustainable Development Special Session 2: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles From Theory to Applications Special Session 3: From Data to Knowledge: Big Data applications and solutions