For the student and general reader, a tour of the digital universe that offers critical observations and new perspectives on human communication and intelligence.Traces the development and diffusion of digital information and communication technologies, providing an analysis of trans-cultural effects among developed and developing nationsProvides a balanced analysis of the pros and cons of the adoption and diffusion of digital technologiesExplores privacy, censorship, the digital divide, online games, and virtual and augmented realitiesFollows a thematic structure, allowing readers to access the text at any point, based on their interestsAccompanying resources provide a wealth of related online contentSelected by Choice as a 2013 Outstanding Academic Title

Power amplifiers and their performance lie at the heart of audio engineering and provide some challenging problems for the engineer. Ben Duncan's experience, as an audio consultant, analog electronics designer and author, give him an unique insight into this difficult but rewarding field.

Linking analog electronics, acoustics, heat and music technology; high-end hi-fi and professional PA and recording studio use; theory, modelling and real-world practice; design and repair; the old and the new, the mainstream and the specialised, this comprehensive guide to power amps is a core reference for anyone in the industry, and any interested onlookers.
Ben Duncan is well known to many users of audio power amplifiers around the world, both professional and domestic, through his articles, reviews and research papers on music technology in the UK and US press, and through his part in creating several notable professional power amplifiers. Since 1977, he has been involved in the design of over 70 innovative, high-end audio products used by recording and broadcast studios, on stages, in clubs and by the most critical domestic listeners - as well as creating bespoke equipment for top musicians. Born in London, he has travelled widely but has lived mainly in Lincolnshire, home of his family for over 150 years. He is twice co-author of the book Rock Hardware in which he has chronicled the history of rock'n'roll PA.
Reprinted with corrections September 1997

Comprehensive and colourful real-life guide
Based on wide experience of audio and music technology
Well-known and prolific author in the hi-fi and pro-audio press

Worldwide, there is considerable interest in postal and delivery economics. Governments, particularly in the European Union, are examining closely the roles of the two systems and how best to regulate them. This volume brings together 20 essays originally presented at the 12th Conference on Postal and Delivery Economics held in Cork, Ireland in June 2004. Contributors included are researchers, practitioners, and senior managers from throughout the world.

Praise for the Series:
"This book will be a useful reference to control engineers and researchers. The papers contained cover well the recent advances in the field of modern control theory."
--IEEE Group Correspondence
"This book will help all those researchers who valiantly try to keep abreast of what is new in the theory and practice of optimal control."
--Control

Advanced Computing, Networking and Informatics are three distinct and mutually exclusive disciplines of knowledge with no apparent sharing/overlap among them. However, their convergence is observed in many real world applications, including cyber-security, internet banking, healthcare, sensor networks, cognitive radio, pervasive computing amidst many others. This two volume proceedings explore the combined use of Advanced Computing and Informatics in the next generation wireless networks and security, signal and image processing, ontology and human-computer interfaces (HCI). The two volumes together include 132 scholarly articles, which have been accepted for presentation from over 550 submissions in the Third International Conference on Advanced Computing, Networking and Informatics, 2015, held in Bhubaneswar, India during June 23-25, 2015.

Enterprise Interoperability is the ability of an enterprise or organisation to work with other enterprises or organisations without special effort. It is now recognised that interoperability of systems and thus sharing of information is not sufficient to ensure common understanding between enterprises. Knowledge of information meaning and understanding of how is to be used must also be shared if decision makers distributed between those enterprises in the network want to act consistently and efficiently. Industry's need for Enterprise Interoperability has been one of the significant drivers for research into the Internet of the Future. EI research will embrace and extend contributions from the Internet of Things and the Internet of Services, and will go on to drive the future needs for Internets of People, Processes, and Knowledge.

Space weather has an enormous influence on modern telecommunication systems even though we may not always appreciate it. We shall endeavor throughout this monograph to expose the relationships between space weather factors and the performance (or lack thereof) of telecommunication, navigation, and surveillance systems. Space weather is a rather new term, having found an oMicial expression as the result of several government initiatives that use the term in the title of programs. But it is the logical consequence of the realization that space also has weather, just as the lower atmosphere has weather. While the weather in space will influence space systems that operate in that special environment, it is also true that space weather will influence systems that we understand and use here on terra firma. This brings space weather home as it were. It is not some abstract topic of interest to scientists alone; it is a topic of concern to all of us. I hope to make this clear as the book unfolds. Why have I written this book? First of all, I love the topic. While at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), I had the opportunity to do research on many topics including: Thomson scatter radar and satellite beacon studies of the ionosphere, utilization of the NASA Gemini platform for ionospheric investigations, microwave radar propagation studies, I-IF signal intercept and direction-finding experiments, and multi-disciplinary studies of certain physical phenomena relevant to weapon systems development.

Asymptotic Combinatorial Coding Theory is devoted to the investigation of the combinatorial properties of transmission systems using discrete signals. The book presents results of interest to specialists in combinatorics seeking to apply combinatorial methods to problems of combinatorial coding theory. Asymptotic Combinatorial Coding Theory serves as an excellent reference for resarchers in discrete mathematics, combinatorics, and combinatorial coding theory, and may be used as a text for advanced courses on the subject.

This volume contains the proceedings of the IFIP WG 6. 1 International Workshop on Testing of Communicating Systems (lWTCS'96), held in Darmstadt, Germany, on September 9 through II, 1996, continuing the IFIP WG 6. 1 series of International Workshops on Protocol Test Systems (IWPTS). In this series of working conferences, held annually since 1988, many valuable contributions have been presented with an emphasis both on the OSI conformance testing methodology and framework as well as the standardization effort on formal methods in conformance testing. While there are stilI open issues and divergencies between theory and practice in these fields, the scope of the series started expanding to related fields of growing practical relevance, for example to testing with regard to the B-ISDN protocol reference model, in particular ATM, the ODP reference model, and the Internet protocol suite, as well as to interoperability testing and performance testing. To reflect the extended scope, the program committee agreed on a new name for this series of working conferences, to be applied the first time to the 1996 conference. However, in order to emphasize the tradition of IWPTS, the numbering of this series was continued, such that IWTCS'96 is counted as the 9th International Workshop on Testing of Communicating Systems. As in the years before, the workshop aims at bringing together researchers and practi tioners, furthering the exchange of views, and correlating the work of both sides."

Technology has advanced to such a degree over the last decade that it has been almost impossible to find up-to-date coverage of antennas. Antenna Handbook, edited by two of the world's most distinguished antenna specialists, presents the most advanced antenna theory and designs and demonstrates their applicationin a wide variety of technical fields. They offer a stagering amount of in-depth data and analysis on a wide range of topics, supported by formulas, curves, and results, as well as derivations.

Explains in detail the underlying principles of four-arm spiral direction-finding antennas for those who wish to design such systems. Includes performance results and practical aspects for the first-time designer. For all models, and for symmetrical and simplified variations, discusses mode forming,

The book deals with the resurgence of nineteenth century electromagnetism in physics and electrical engineering. It describes a series of important experiments, and new technologies based on these experiments, which cannot be explained by and analyzed with the modern relativistic electrodynamics of the twentieth century. The Newtonian electrodynamics of Coulomb, Ampere, Neumann, and Kirchhoff, which was current from 1750 to 1900, is fully reviewed and greatly extended to deal with contemporary research on exploding wires, railguns and other electromagnetic accelerators, jet propulsion in liquid metals, arc plasma explosions, capillary fusion, and lightning phenomena. Much of the book is based on the atomic definition of the Amperian current element. Finite element techniques for solving many electrodynamic problems are described.

Frequency Assignment and Network Planning for Digital Terrestrial Broadcasting Systems focuses on Digital Audio Broadcasting and Digital Video Broadcasting. The author provides a concise introduction to the subject and presents principles, concepts and commonly accepted methods used in the planning process.
The frequency assignment material focuses on allotment planning while network planning is dealt with mainly from a network optimization perspective. All methods introduced and mathematical tools presented are fully explained. General concepts are illustrated with the help of several planning scenarios both for frequency assignment and network planning.
Frequency assignment and network planning are vital issues throughout most of Europe and North America as a direct consequence of the increasing demand for digital communication systems.

The book proposes new technologies and discusses future solutions for design infrastructure for ICT. The book contains high quality submissions presented at Second International Conference on Information and Communication Technology for Sustainable Development (ICT4SD - 2016) held at Goa, India during 1 - 2 July, 2016. The conference stimulates the cutting-edge research discussions among many academic pioneering researchers, scientists, industrial engineers, and students from all around the world. The topics covered in this book also focus on innovative issues at international level by bringing together the experts from different countries.

The ability to extract generic 3D objects from images is a crucial step towards automation of a variety of problems in cartographic database compilation, industrial inspection and assembly, and autonomous navigation. Many of these problem domains do not have strong constraints on object shape or scene content, presenting serious obstacles for the development of robust object detection and delineation techniques. Geometric Constraints for Object Detection and Delineation addresses these problems with a suite of novel methods and techniques for detecting and delineating generic objects in images of complex scenes, and applies them to the specific task of building detection and delineation from monocular aerial imagery. PIVOT, the fully automated system implementing these techniques, is quantitatively evaluated on 83 images covering 18 test scenes, and compared to three existing systems for building extraction. The results highlight the performance improvements possible with rigorous photogrammetric camera modeling, primitive-based object representations, and geometric constraints derived from their combination. PIVOT's performance illustrates the implications of a clearly articulated set of philosophical principles, taking a significant step towards automatic detection and delineation of 3D objects in real-world environments. Geometric Constraints for Object Detection and Delineation is suitable as a textbook or as a secondary text for a graduate-level course, and as a reference for researchers and practitioners in industry.

This book incorporates a selection of research and development papers. Its scope is on history and background, underlying design methodology, application domains and recent developments. The readers will be able to understand the underlying technology, philosophy, concepts, ideas, and principles, with regard to broader areas of sensor network. Aspects of sensor network and experimental results have been presented in proper order.

Many smart phone users reap the benefits of location-based services. While tracking users positions using their smart phone is an issue of concern for some, others who use Foursquare or rely on their Android GPS view location-based services as a necessity. Ubiquitous Positioning and Mobile Location-Based Services in Smart Phones explores new research in smart phones with an emphasis on positioning solutions in smart phones, smart phone-based navigation applications, mobile geographical information systems, and related standards.

Describes virtually all aspects of ion-exchanged glass waveguides, from fabrication to techniques for characterization and analysis.

This informative text/reference presents a detailed review of the state of the art in industrial sensor and control networks. The book examines a broad range of applications, along with their design objectives and technical challenges. The coverage includes fieldbus technologies, wireless communication technologies, network architectures, and resource management and optimization for industrial networks. Discussions are also provided on industrial communication standards for both wired and wireless technologies, as well as for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Topics and features: describes the FlexRay, CAN, and Modbus fieldbus protocols for industrial control networks, as well as the MIL-STD-1553 standard; proposes a dual fieldbus approach, incorporating both CAN and ModBus fieldbus technologies, for a ship engine distributed control system; reviews a range of industrial wireless sensor network (IWSN) applications, from environmental sensing and condition monitoring, to process automation; examines the wireless networking performance, design requirements, and technical limitations of IWSN applications; presents a survey of IWSN commercial solutions and service providers, and summarizes the emerging trends in this area; discusses the latest technologies and open challenges in realizing the vision of the IIoT, highlighting various applications of the IIoT in industrial domains; introduces a logistics paradigm for adopting IIoT technology on the Physical Internet. This unique work will be of great value to all researchers involved in industrial sensor and control networks, wireless networking, and the Internet of Things.

This book consists of the identification, characterization, and modeling of electromagnetic interferences in substations for the deployment of wireless sensor networks. The authors present in chapter 3 the measurement setup to record sequences of impulsive noise samples in the ISM band of interest. The setup can measure substation impulsive noise, in wide band, with enough samples per time window and enough precision to allow a statistical study of the noise. During the measurement campaign, the authors recorded around 120 noise sequences in different substations and for four ranges of equipment voltage, which are 25 kV, 230 kV, 315 kV and 735 kV. A characterization process is proposed, by which physical characteristics of partial discharge can be measured in terms of first- and second-order statistics. From the measurement campaign, the authors infer the characteristics of substation impulsive noise as a function of the substation equipment voltage, and can provide representative parameters for the four voltage ranges and for several existing impulsive noise models. The authors investigate in chapters 4 and 5 the modeling of electromagnetic interferences caused by partial discharge sources. First, the authors propose a complete and coherent approach model that links physical characteristics of high-voltage installations to the induced radio-interference spectra of partial discharge sources. The goodness-of-fit of the proposed physical model has been measured based on some interesting statistical metrics. This allows one to assess the effectiveness of the authors' approach in terms of first- and second-order statistics. Chapter 6 proposes a model based on statistical approach. Indeed, substation impulsive noise is composed of correlated impulses, which would require models with memory in order to replicate a similar correlation. Among different models, we have configured a Partitioned Markov Chain (PMC) with 19 states (one state for the background noise and 18 states for the impulse); this Markov-Gaussian model is able to generate impulsive noise with correlated impulse samples. The correlation is observable on the impulse duration and the power spectrum of the impulses. Our PMC model provides characteristics that are more similar to the characteristics of substation impulsive noise in comparison with other models, in terms of time and frequency response, as well as Probability Density Functions (PDF). Although PMC represents reliably substation impulsive noise, the model remains complex in terms of parameter estimation due to a large number of Markov states, which can be an obstacle for future wireless system design. In order to simplify the model, the authors decrease the number of states to 7 by assigning one state to the background noise and 6 states to the impulse and we call this model PMC-6. PMC-6 can generate realistic impulses and can be easily implemented in a receiver in order to mitigate substation impulsive noise. Representative parameters are provided in order to replicate substation impulsive noise for different voltage ranges (25-735 kV). Chapter 7, a generalized radio-noise model for substations is proposed, in which there are many discharges sources that are randomly distributed over space and time according to the Poisson field of interferers approach. This allows for the identification of some interesting statistical properties of moments, cumulants and probability distributions. These can, in turn, be utilized in signal processing algorithms for rapid partial discharge's identification, localization, and impulsive noise mitigation techniques in wireless communications in substations. The primary audience for this book is the electrical and power engineering industry, electricity providers and companies who are interested in substation automation systems using wireless communication technologies for smart grid applications. Researchers, engineers and students studying and working in wireless communication will also want to buy this book as a reference.

This useful tool provides the reader with a current overview of where microstrip patch antenna technology is at, and useful information on how to design this form of radiator for their given application and scenario. Practical design cases are provided for each goal.

Iterative Detection: Adaptivity, Complexity Reduction, and Applications is a primary resource for both researchers and teachers in the field of communication. Unlike other books in the area, it presents a general view of iterative detection that does not rely heavily on coding theory or graph theory. The features of the text include: Both theoretical background and numerous real-world applications. Over 70 detailed examples, 100 problems, 180 illustrations, tables of notation and acronyms, and an extensive bibliography and subject index. A whole chapter devoted to a case study on turbo decoder design. Receiver design guidelines, rules and suggestions. The most advanced view of iterative (turbo) detection based only on block diagrams and standard detection and estimation theory. Development of adaptive iterative detection theory. Application of adaptive iterative detection to phase and channel tracking in turbo coded systems and systems representative of digital mobile radio designs. An entire chapter dedicated to complexity reduction. Numerous recent research results. Discussion of open problems at the end of each chapter. Among the applications considered in this book are joint equalization and decoding, turbo codes, multiuser detection and decoding, broadband wireless channel equalization, and applications to two-dimensional storage and imaging systems. Audience: Iterative Detection: Adaptivity, Complexity Reduction, and Applications provides an accessible and detailed reference for researchers, practicing engineers, and students working in the field of detection and estimation. It will be of particular interest to those who would like to learn how iterative detection can be applied to equalization, interference mitigation, and general signal processing tasks. Researchers and practicing engineers interested in learning the turbo decoding algorithm should also have this book.

This book has brought 24 groups of experts and active researchers around the world together in image processing and analysis, video processing and analysis, and communications related processing, to present their newest research results, exchange latest experiences and insights, and explore future directions in these important and rapidly evolving areas. It aims at increasing the synergy between academic and industry professionals working in the related field. It focuses on the state-of-the-art research in various essential areas related to emerging technologies, standards and applications on analysis, processing, computing, and communication of multimedia information. The target audience of this book is researchers and engineers as well as graduate students working in various disciplines linked to multimedia analysis, processing and communications, e.g., computer vision, pattern recognition, information technology, image processing, and artificial intelligence. The book is also meant to a broader audience including practicing professionals working in image/video applications such as image processing, video surveillance, multimedia indexing and retrieval, and so on. We hope that the researchers, engineers, students and other professionals who read this book would find it informative, useful and inspirational toward their own work in one way or another.

Technology has advanced to such a degree over the last decade that it has been almost impossible to find up-to-date coverage of antennas. Antenna Handbook, edited by two of the world's most distinguished antenna speciallists, presents the most advanced antenna theory and designs and demonstrates their application in a wide variety of technical fields. They offer a staggering amount of in-depth data and analysis on a wide range of topics, supported by formulas, curves, and results, as well as derivations.