springer dez 2007 (282 Ergebnisse)

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The aim of the State of the Universe annuals is to provide an annual astronomy review suitable for the popular science level reader to be published every September. The book will cover all major astronomical news on topics beyond the Solar System and place them in the context of the longer term goals of astronomers and astrophysicists around the world. The aim is to capture the excitement and vibrancy of modern astronomical research. This section also includes web links for all major news stories, providing a bridge between the public news stories and the actual research web sites.The invited contributions which make up the second half of the annual each year will cover a variety of topics and are written to appeal to a wide readership. These are written by leading astronomers or science writers.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 196 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Financial statements and information drawn from them confront us daily: in the media, in corporate annual reports, in the treasurer¿s reports for clubs or religious groups, in documents provided to employees and managers, as one considers alternative investments, in documents provided by homeowners¿ association and government agenciesVarious readers of a company¿s ¿financial score¿ make decisions based on financial information: the company¿s managers devise actions to improve operations; investors buy or sell the corporation¿s securities; creditors decide how much to lend; customers judge the reliability of this supplier; potential employees decide whether to invest their careers in the company.If you are training to be an accountant, find another book. This book¿s objective is to increase your ability to draw useful information from financial statements, and thus to make better decisions¿in both your personal life and your professional life. Studying this book should help you be a better manager. That is both its objective and its perspective.The book starts at square one; it assumes no prior knowledge on your part. To increase your financial literacy, you will learn the common nomenclature (but not esoteric jargon) used by accountants and financial experts. You will be equipped to ask insightful questions of experts, to engage them and your colleagues in thoughtful debates about financial and accounting issues, and to make better decisions.Table of Contents: The Balance Sheet / The Income Statement / Valuation / Timing / Capital Structure / Cash Flow / Evaluating with Ratios / Cost Accounting / Budgeting and Forecasting / Rules and Integrity / Appendix: Scorekeeping at Not-for-ProfitsSpringer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 176 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -High dynamic range imaging (HDRI) is an emerging field that has the potential to cause a great scientific and technological impact in the near future. Although new, this field is large and complex, with non-trivial relations to many different areas, such as image synthesis, computer vision, video and image processing, digital photography, special effects among others. For the above reasons,HDRI has been extensively researched over the past years and, consequently, the related scientific literature is vast. As an indication that the field is reaching maturity, tutorials and books on HDRI appeared. Moreover, this new resource has already reached interested practitioners in various application areas. In this book, we do not aim at covering the whole field of high dynamic range imaging and its applications, since it is a broad subject that is still evolving. Instead, our intent is to cover the basic principles behind HDRI and focus on one of the currently most important problems, both theoretically and practically. That is, the reconstruction of high dynamic range images from regular low dynamic range pictures. Table of Contents: Introduction / Digital Image / Imaging Devices and Calibration / HDR Reconstruction / HDRI Acquisition and Visualization / Tone Enhancement / References / BiographySpringer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 64 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The globally averaged surface temperature of the Earth has increased during the past century by about 0.7°C. Most of the increase can be attributed to the greenhouse effect, the increase in the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide that is emitted when fossil fuels are burned to produce energy.The book begins with the important distinction between weather and climate, followed by data showing how carbon dioxide has increased and the incontrovertible evidence that it is caused by burning fossil fuels (i.e., coal, oil, and natural gas). I also address the inevitable skepticism that global warming arouses and offer a number of responses to the global warming skeptics. After dealing with the skeptics, I analyze both the current and future effects of global warming. These future effects are based on scenarios or ¿storylines¿ put forth by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis. In closing, I address the controversial (and grim) suggestion that we have already passed the ¿tipping point,¿ which is the time after which, regardless of our future actions, global warming will cause considerable hardship on human society. I intend this book to be approachable for all concerned citizens, but especially students of the sciences and engineering who will soon be in a position to make a difference in the areas of energy and the environment. I have tried to frame the debate in terms of what the engineering community must do to help combat global warming. We have no choice but to think in terms of global environmental constraints as we design new power plants, factories, automobiles, buildings, and homes. The best thing for scientists to do is to present what we know, clearly separating what is known from what is suspected, in a non-apocalyptic manner. If matters are clearly and passionately presented to the public, we must be prepared to accept the will of the people. This presents the scientific community with an enormous responsibility, perhaps unlike any we have had in the past.Contents: Weather and Climate (and a Little History) / Are the Concentrations of Greenhouse Gases in the Atmosphere Increasing / The Greenhouse Effect and the Evidence of Global Warming / The Skeptics: Are Their Doubts Scientifically Valid / Impacts: The ''So What'' Question / The Bottom LineSpringer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 120 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Engineers, Technology and Society presents topics intended to aid the practicing engineer in reflecting upon the nature and purpose of their own practice within the engineering profession and how that is related to and implicated in social, economic and political issues. The series will include external relations between engineering, economic systems and social and political practices, as well as power structures and working conditions within the organisation.In an increasingly competitive and hostile environment in which practicing engineers are forced to spend their lives fighting for higher profit margins, many engineers become despondent and often leave the profession just a few years after graduation. They do not feel they are engineering for those in need in the world but for a small minority who can pay. There are an increasing number of engineers in the workplace who feel dissatisfied with these issues but do not know where to begin to address them. It is hoped that these books will start a conversation in many parts of the world where diverse engineers are working.This introductory book of the series presents an overview of the key issues at stake. I consider how, as engineers, we might decide what is the right thing to do by exploring rights and notions of freedom and what these might mean in a world where we are, according to some, ¿training for compliance¿. I consider engineering in the past and how it has been used to contribute to social contexts in the Western world as well as in developing countries. I look at our responsibility as engineers to learn from the past to enhance our understanding and take appropriate action related to contemporary industrial development and globalization. Finally, I present a case study of my own engineering for others to critique. Practicing what you preach is never easy and living as a just engineer presents many challenges. As Ursula Franklin states clearly in her Massey lectures which I discuss in chapter 1, engineers have choices; it is up to us to ensure that we are aware of the way in which our engineering practice contributes to global social, economic and political issues so that we are able to make response ¿ able choices.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 76 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The text addresses the impact of globalization within engineering, particularly on working practices and prospects for creativity. It suggests that accepted norms of economic activity create enclosures and thresholds within the profession, which¿as engineers increase their awareness (reflexivity)¿will shape the future of engineering, and the values which underpin it. It is aimed at practicing engineers and those in training and is an introduction to the social and political context currently setting new challenges for the profession.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 64 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Immediately following the Second World War, between 1947 and 1955, several classic papers quantified the fundamentals of human speech information processing and recognition. In 1947 French and Steinberg published their classic study on the articulation index. In 1948 Claude Shannon published his famous work on the theory of information. In 1950 Fletcher and Galt published their theory of the articulation index, a theory that Fletcher had worked on for 30 years, which integrated his classic works on loudness and speech perception with models of speech intelligibility. In 1951 George Miller then wrote the first book Language and Communication, analyzing human speech communication with Claude Shannon's just published theory of information. Finally in 1955 George Miller published the first extensive analysis of phone decoding, in the form of confusion matrices, as a function of the speech-to-noise ratio. This work extended the Bell Labs' speech articulation studies with ideas from Shannon's Information theory. Both Miller and Fletcher showed that speech, as a code, is incredibly robust to mangling distortions of filtering and noise. Regrettably much of this early work was forgotten. While the key science of information theory blossomed, other than the work of George Miller, it was rarely applied to aural speech research. The robustness of speech, which is the most amazing thing about the speech code, has rarely been studied. It is my belief (i.e., assumption) that we can analyze speech intelligibility with the scientific method. The quantitative analysis of speech intelligibility requires both science and art. The scientific component requires an error analysis of spoken communication, which depends critically on the use of statistics, information theory, and psychophysical methods. The artistic component depends on knowing how to restrict the problem in such a way that progress may be made. It is critical to tease out the relevant from the irrelevant and dig for the key issues. This will focus us on the decoding of nonsense phonemes with no visual component, which have been mangled by filtering and noise. This monograph is a summary and theory of human speech recognition. It builds on and integrates the work of Fletcher, Miller, and Shannon. The long-term goal is to develop a quantitative theory for predicting the recognition of speech sounds. In Chapter 2 the theory is developed for maximum entropy (MaxEnt) speech sounds, also called nonsense speech. In Chapter 3, context is factored in. The book is largely reflective, and quantitative, with a secondary goal of providing an historical context, along with the many deep insights found in these early works.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 140 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Pragmatic Logic presents the analysis and design of digital logic systems. The author begins with a brief study of binary and hexadecimal number systems and then looks at the basics of Boolean algebra. The study of logic circuits is divided into two parts, combinational logic, which has no memory, and sequential logic, which does. Numerous examples highlight the principles being presented. The text ends with an introduction to digital logic design using Verilog, a hardware description language.The chapter on Verilog can be studied along with the other chapters in the text. After the reader has completed combinational logic in Chapters 4 and 5, sections 9.1 and 9.2 would be appropriate. Similarly, the rest of Chapter 9 could be studied after completing sequential logic in Chapters 6 and 7.This short lecture book will be of use to students at any level of electrical or computer engineering and for practicing engineers or scientists in any field looking for a practical and applied introduction to digital logic. The author's ''pragmatic'' and applied style gives a unique and helpful ''non-idealist, practical, opinionated'' introduction to digital systems.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 220 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -My Heavens! charts the progress of the author¿s own substantial observatory (with additional material from amateur constructors of large observatories elsewhere) from conception, through design, planning and construction, to using an observatory of the kind that all amateur astronomers would aspire to own.This book tells the ¿warts and all¿ story of small beginnings in amateur astronomy, leading to the construction of a ¿top of the range¿ observatory at a house on the edge of a country village between Oxford and London. The author is a qualified building surveyor, and looks at building the observatory from his own professional perspective. There were of course many errors, problems, technical and organizational difficulties along the way, and the author never shies away from admitting his mistakes ¿ and in doing so he reduces the chances of others falling into the same traps. Comparisons are made with similar large projects in the USA, taking a look at the differences and similarities in planning and building regulations, and in construction methods on both sides of the Atlantic.Eventually an observatory materialized, set up to facilitate the taking of very high quality images of the deep sky on those special days of best seeing.The story doesn¿t end with the construction of the observatory, but goes on to describe the author¿s choice of equipment, setting it up, and his own techniques for obtaining superb astronomical images like the ones he shows in his book.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 200 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The confluence of decades of computer science and computer engineering research in multimodal interaction (e.g., speech and gesture recognition), machine learning (e.g., classification and feature extraction), software (e.g., web browsers, distributed agents), electronics (e.g., energy-efficient microprocessors, head-mounted displays), design methodology in user-centered design, and rapid prototyping have enabled a new class of computers¿wearable computers. The lecture takes the viewpoint of a potential designer or researcher in wearable computing. Designing wearable computers requires attention to many different factors because of the computer¿s closeness to the body and its use while performing other tasks. For the purposes of discussion, we have created the UCAMP framework, which consists of the following factors: user, corporal, attention, manipulation, and perception. Each of these factors and their importance is described. A number of example prototypes developed by the authors,as well as by other researchers, are used to illustrate these concepts. Wearable computers have established their first foothold in several application domains, such as vehicle and aircraft maintenance and manufacturing, inspection, language translation, and other areas. The lecture continues by describing the next step in the evolution of wearable computers, namely, context awareness. Context-aware computing takes into account a user¿s state and surroundings, and the mobile computer modifies its behavior based on this information. A user¿s context can be quite rich, consisting of attributes such as physical location, physiological state, personal history, daily behavioral patterns, and so forth. If a human assistant were given such context, he or she would make decisions in a proactive fashion, anticipating user needs, and acting as a proactive assistant. The goal is to enable mobile computers to play an analogous role, exploiting context information to significantly reduce demands onhuman attention. Context-aware intelligent agents can deliver relevant information when a user needs that information. These data make possible many exciting new applications, such as augmented reality, context-aware collaboration, and augmented manufacturing. The combined studies and research reported in this lecture suggest a number of useful guidelines for designing wearable computing devices. Also included with the guidelines is a list of questions that designers should consider when beginning to design a wearable computer. The research directions section emphasizes remaining challenges and trends in the areas of user interface, modalities of interaction, and wearable cognitive augmentation. Finally, we summarize the most important challenges and conclude with a projection of future directions in wearable computing. Table of Contents: Introduction / The Wearable Computing UCAMP / Design Guidelines for Wearable Computing / Research Directions / Conclusions and Future ChallengesSpringer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 76 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This lecture book is an introduction to project management. It will be of use for engineering students working on project design in all engineering disciplines and will also be of high value to practicing engineers in the work force. Few engineering programs prepare students in methods of project design and configuration management used within industry and government.This book emphasizes teams throughout and includes coverage of an introduction to projectmanagement, project definition, researching intellectual property (patent search), project scope, idealizing and conceptualizing a design, converting product requirements to engineering specifications, project integration, project communicationsmanagement, and conducting design reviews. The overall objectives of the book are for the readers to understand and manage their project by employing the good engineering practice used by medical and other industries in design and development of medical devices, engineered products and systems. The goal is for the engineer and student to work well on large projects requiring a team environment, and to effectively communicate technical matters in both written documents and oral presentations.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 136 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Breath sounds have long been important indicators of respiratory health and disease. Acoustical monitoring of respiratory sounds has been used by researchers for various diagnostic purposes. A few decades ago, physicians relied on their hearing to detect any symptomatic signs in respiratory sounds of their patients. However, with the aid of computer technology and digital signal processing techniques in recent years, breath sound analysis has drawn much attention because of its diagnostic capabilities. Computerized respiratory sound analysis can now quantify changes in lung sounds; make permanent records of the measurements made and produce graphical representations that help with the diagnosis and treatment of patients suffering from lung diseases. Digital signal processing techniques have been widely used to derive characteristics features of the lung sounds for both diagnostic and assessment of treatment purposes. Although the analytical techniques of signal processing are largely independent of the application, interpretation of their results on biological data, i.e. respiratory sounds, requires substantial understanding of the involved physiological system. This lecture series begins with an overview of the anatomy and physiology related to human respiratory system, and proceeds to advanced research in respiratory sound analysis and modeling, and their application as diagnostic aids. Although some of the used signal processing techniques have been explained briefly, the intention of this book is not to describe the analytical methods of signal processing but the application of them and how the results can be interpreted. The book is written for engineers with university level knowledge of mathematics and digital signal processing.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 68 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Spectral estimation is important in many fields including astronomy, meteorology, seismology, communications, economics, speech analysis, medical imaging, radar, sonar, and underwater acoustics. Most existing spectral estimation algorithms are devised for uniformly sampled complete-data sequences. However, the spectral estimation for data sequences with missing samples is also important in many applications ranging from astronomical time series analysis to synthetic aperture radar imaging with angular diversity. For spectral estimation in the missing-data case, the challenge is how to extend the existing spectral estimation techniques to deal with these missing-data samples. Recently, nonparametric adaptive filtering based techniques have been developed successfully for various missing-data problems. Collectively, these algorithms provide a comprehensive toolset for the missing-data problem based exclusively on the nonparametric adaptive filter-bank approaches, which are robust and accurate, and can provide high resolution and low sidelobes. In this book, we present these algorithms for both one-dimensional and two-dimensional spectral estimation problems.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 108 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Introduction to Logic Synthesis Using Verilog HDL explains how to write accurate Verilog descriptions of digital systems that can be synthesized into digital system netlists with desirable characteristics. The book contains numerous Verilog examples that begin with simple combinational networks and progress to synchronous sequential logic systems. Common pitfalls in the development of synthesizable Verilog HDL are also discussed along with methods for avoiding them. The target audience is anyone with a basic understanding of digital logic principles who wishes to learn how to model digital systems in the Verilog HDL in a manner that also allows for automatic synthesis. A wide range of readers, from hobbyists and undergraduate students to seasoned professionals, will find this a compelling and approachable work. The book provides concise coverage of the material and includes many examples, enabling readers to quickly generate high-quality synthesizable Verilog models.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 84 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -In this work, the reliability of HfO2 (hafnium oxide) with poly gate and dual metal gate electrode (RüTa alloy, Ru) was investigated. Hard breakdown and soft breakdown, particularly the Weibull slopes, were studied under constant voltage stress. Dynamic stressing has also been used. It was found that the combination of trapping and detrapping contributed to the enhancement of the projected lifetime. The results from the polarity dependence studies showed that the substrate injection exhibited a shorter projected lifetime and worse soft breakdown behavior, compared to the gate injection. The origin of soft breakdown (first breakdown) was studied and the results suggested that the soft breakdown may be due to one layer breakdown in the bilayer structure (HfO2/SiO2: 4 nm/4 nm). Low Weibull slope was in part attributed to the lower barrier height of HfO2 at the interface layer. Interface layer optimization was conducted in terms of mobility, swing, and short channel effect using deep submicron MOSFET devices.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 104 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book is about an audacious idea: asteroengineering¿literally, the physical engineering of a star, especially the star we call our Sun. It is an idea on the grandest of scales. Part science fiction, part science fact, asteroengineering is a response to a very definite and a very real problem, a problem that our distant descendants will one day have to face. It is also a universal problem that will be experienced ¿ at some stage or other ¿ by every extraterr- trial civilization that has or will exist. Indeed, the problem to be addressed resides within the parent stars of each and every li- supporting planetary system within our galaxy. In short, stars puff up to become luminous red giants as they age, and by doing this they vaporize those planets previously situated in the habitability zone where life can otherwise thrive. As their parent star ages and approaches the red giant phase, a civilization has two options open to it: stay at home, or pack up and leave. The latter option would require the hapless civilization to cocoon itself within giant spa- ships and then set itself adrift in the uncharted depths of space. If a civilization chooses to stay put, however, then all life will end¿unless, that is, something is done about the demise of its parent star.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 240 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Thebookyouareholdinginyourhandsisoneofthebestlearningandoutreach tools you could want for your collection. The Night Sky Companion is full of informationaboutastronomy.Thinkofhowmanytimesyouhavewalkedoutside, lookedatthestarsandwonderedwhatnewthingsyoucouldexplore.Maybeyou areabeginnerandyouwanttolearnthebasicsofstargazing,orperhapsyoüre a seasoned sky veteran. Either way, I bet you will see and learn something new each night. I have used Tammy Plotner¿s previous books to help plan my outreach programs. Not only do they tell you what you can see in the night sky, just as this book does, but they also explain some of the history and science which has brought us to this point. You will quickly realize astronomy is what you make it. It can be extremely challenging or very relaxing: it¿s up to you to decide. With this book, you can use telescope or binoculars of any size¿or just kick back under the Milky Way and enjoy the view. It will be your ¿companion¿ to help you discover our galaxy. Picture yourself enjoying a warm August night watching the Perseid meteor shower, or seeing the Harvest Moon rise. While the spring holds the promise of bright planets and distant galaxies, there is somethingtobesaidaboutthoselong,coldwintereveningstoo!Youcanspend hoursobservingandstillgettobedbeforemidnight.Witheachchangingseason, with every constellation wheeling overhead, Tammy will show you the best of the night sky. ThewealthofinformationhereabouttheMoonwillamazeyou.Waituntilyou point a telescope its way and find a specific crater. Suddenly, the lunar terrain takes on a new look. It has a stark beauty which will keep you coming back. ix OhioAurorainMay(Credit¿TerryMann). Foreword xi Both beginning and advanced amateur astronomers will enjoy this book.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 704 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book describes fully embedded board level optical interconnect in detail including the fabrication of the thin-film VCSEL array, its characterization, thermal management, the fabrication of optical interconnection layer, and the integration of devices on a flexible waveguide film. All the optical components are buried within electrical PCB layers in a fully embedded board level optical interconnect. Therefore, we can save foot prints on the top real estate of the PCB and relieve packaging difficulty reduced by separating fabrication processes. To realize fully embedded board level optical interconnects, many stumbling blocks need to be addressed such as thin-film transmitter and detector, thermal management, process compatibility, reliability, cost effective fabrication process, and easy integration. The material presented eventually will relieve such concerns and make the integration of optical interconnection highly feasible. The hybrid integration of the optical interconnection layer and electrical layers is ongoing.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 104 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This monograph is a comprehensive presentation of state-of-the-art methodologies that can dramatically enhance the efficiency of the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique, the most popular electromagnetic field solver of the time-domain form of Maxwell's equations. These methodologies are aimed at optimally tailoring the computational resources needed for the wideband simulation of microwave and optical structures to their geometry, as well as the nature of the field solutions they support. That is achieved by the development of robust ¿adaptive meshing¿ approaches, which amount to varying the total number of unknown field quantities in the course of the simulation to adapt to temporally or spatially localized field features. While mesh adaptation is an extremely desirable FDTD feature, known to reduce simulation times by orders of magnitude, it is not always robust. The specific techniques presented in this book are characterized by stability and robustness. Therefore, they are excellent computer analysis and design (CAD) tools. The book starts by introducing the FDTD technique, along with challenges related to its application to the analysis of real-life microwave and optical structures. It then proceeds to developing an adaptive mesh refinement method based on the use of multiresolution analysis and, more specifically, the Haar wavelet basis. Furthermore, a new method to embed a moving adaptive mesh in FDTD, the dynamically adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) FDTD technique, is introduced and explained in detail. To highlight the properties of the theoretical tools developed in the text, a number of applications are presented, including: Microwave integrated circuits (microstrip filters, couplers, spiral inductors, cavities). Optical power splitters, Y-junctions, and couplers Optical ring resonators Nonlinear optical waveguides. Building on first principles of time-domain electromagnetic simulations, this book presents advanced concepts and cutting-edge modeling techniques in an intuitive way for programmers, engineers, and graduate students. It is designed to provide a solid reference for highly efficient time-domain solvers, employed in a wide range of exciting applications in microwave/millimeter-wave and optical engineering.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 156 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -In this lecture, we study Bézier and B-spline curves and surfaces, mathematical representations for free-form curves and surfaces that are common in CAD systems and are used to design aircraft and automobiles, as well as in modeling packages used by the computer animation industry. Bézier/B-splines represent polynomials and piecewise polynomials in a geometric manner using sets of control points that define the shape of the surface. The primary analysis tool used in this lecture is blossoming, which gives an elegant labeling of the control points that allows us to analyze their properties geometrically. Blossoming is used to explore both Bézier and B-spline curves, and in particular to investigate continuity properties, change of basis algorithms, forward differencing, B-spline knot multiplicity, and knot insertion algorithms. We also look at triangle diagrams (which are closely related to blossoming), direct manipulation of B-spline curves, NURBS curves, and triangular and tensor product surfaces.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 108 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book presents a new global optimization technique using Taguchi¿s method and its applications in electromagnetics and antenna engineering. Compared with traditional optimization techniques, Taguchi¿s optimization method is easy to implement and very efficient in reaching optimum solutions. Taguchi¿s optimization method is developed based on the orthogonal array (OA) concept, which offers a systematic and efficient way to select design parameters. The book illustrates the basic implementation procedure of Taguchi¿s optimization method and discusses various advanced techniques for performance improvement. In addition, the integration of Taguchi¿s optimization method with commercial electromagnetics software is introduced in the book. The proposed optimization method is used in various linear antenna arrays, microstrip filters, and ultra-wideband antenna designs. Successful examples include linear antenna array with a null controlled pattern, linear antenna array with a sector beam,linear antenna array with reduced side lobe levels, microstrip band stop filter, microstrip band pass filter, coplanar waveguide band stop filter, coplanar ultra-wide band antenna, and ultra-wide band antenna with band notch feature. Satisfactory results obtained from the design process demonstrate the validity and efficiency of the proposed Taguchi¿s optimization method. Contents: Introduction / Orthagonal Arrays / Taguchi's Optimization Method / Linear Antenna Array Designs / Planar Filter Designs / Ultra-wide Band (UWB) Antenna Designs / OA-PSO Method / ConclusionsSpringer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 100 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book is the first of two volumes which have been created to provide an understanding of the basic principles and applications of electromagnetic fields for electrical engineering students. Fundamentals of Electromagnetics Vol 1: Internal Behavior of Lumped Elements focuses upon the DC and low-frequency behavior of electromagnetic fields within lumped elements. The properties of electromagnetic fields provide the basis for predicting the terminal characteristics of resistors, capacitors, and inductors. The properties of magnetic circuits are included as well. For slightly higher frequencies for which the lumped elements are a significant fraction of a wavelength in size the second volume of this set, Fundamentals of Electromagnetics Vol 2: Quasistatics and Waves, examines how the low-frequency models of lumped elements are modified to include parasitic elements. Upon completion of understanding the two volumes of this book, students will have gained the necessary knowledge to progress to advanced studies of electromagnetics.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 228 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Tensor Properties of Solids presents the phenomenological development of solid state properties represented as matter tensors in two parts: Part I on equilibrium tensor properties and Part II on transport tensor properties.Part I begins with an introduction to tensor notation, transformations, algebra, and calculus together with the matrix representations. Crystallography, as it relates to tensor properties of crystals, completes the background treatment. A generalized treatment of solid-state equilibrium thermodynamics leads to the systematic correlation of equilibrium tensor properties. This is followed by developments covering first-, second-, third-, and higher-order tensor effects. Included are the generalized compliance and rigidity matrices for first-order tensor properties, Maxwell relations, effect of measurement conditions, and the dependent coupled effects and use of interaction diagrams. Part I concludes with the second- and higher-order effects, including numerous optical tensor properties.Part II presents the driving forces and fluxes for the well-known proper conductivities. An introduction to irreversible thermodynamics includes the concepts of microscopic reversibility, Onsager's reciprocity principle, entropy density production, and the proper choice of the transport parameters. This is followed by the force-flux equations for electronic charge and heat flow and the relationships between the proper conductivities and phenomenological coefficients. The thermoelectric effects in solids are discussed and extended to the piezothermoelectric and piezoresistance tensor effects. The subjects of thermomagnetic, galvanomagnetic, and thermogalvanomagnetic effects are developed together with other higher-order magnetotransport property tensors.A glossary of terms, expressions, and symbols are provided at the end of the text, and end-of-chapter problems are provided on request. Endnotes provide the necessary references for further reading.Table of Contents: I. Equilibrium Tensor Properties of Solids / Introduction / Introduction to Tensor Notation, Tensor Transformations, Tensor Calculus, and Matrix Representation / Crystal Systems, Symmetry Elements, and Symmetry Transformations / Generalized Thermostatics and the Systematic Correlation of Physical Properties / The Dependent Coupled Effects and the Interrelationships Between First-Order Tensor Properties - Use of Interaction Diagrams / Third- and Fourth-Rank Tensor Properties - Symmetry Considerations / Second- and Higher-Order Effects - Symmetry Considerations / II. Transport Properties of Solids / Introduction to Transport Properties and the Thermodynamics of Irreversible Processes / Thermoelectric, Piezothermoelectric, and Diffusive Effects in Solids / Effect of Magnetic Field on the Transport Properties / Appendix A: Magnetic Tensor Properties, Magnetic Crystals, and the Combined Space-Time Transformations / Endnotes / Glossary / Biography / IndexSpringer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 108 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This lecture presents the perfectly matched layer (PML) absorbing boundary condition (ABC) used to simulate free space when solving the Maxwell equations with such finite methods as the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method or the finite element method. The frequency domain and the time domain equations are derived for the different forms of PML media, namely the split PML, the CPML, the NPML, and the uniaxial PML, in the cases of PMLs matched to isotropic, anisotropic, and dispersive media. The implementation of the PML ABC in the FDTD method is presented in detail. Propagation and reflection of waves in the discretized FDTD space are derived and discussed, with a special emphasis on the problem of evanescent waves. The optimization of the PML ABC is addressed in two typical applications of the FDTD method: first, wave-structure interaction problems, and secondly, waveguide problems. Finally, a review of the literature on the application of the PML ABC to other numerical techniques of electromagnetics and to other partial differential equations of physics is provided. In addition, a software package for computing the actual reflection from a FDTD-PML is provided. It is available here.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 128 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book deals with the problem of joint source-channel video transmission, i.e., the joint optimal allocation of resources at the application layer and the other network layers, such as data rate adaptation, channel coding, power adaptation in wireless networks, quality of service (QoS) support from the network, and packet scheduling, for efficient video transmission. Real-time video communication applications, such as videoconferencing, video telephony, and on-demand video streaming, have gained increased popularity. However, a key problem in video transmission over the existing Internet and wireless networks is the incompatibility between the nature of the network conditions and the QoS requirements (in terms, for example, of bandwidth, delay, and packet loss) of real-time video applications. To deal with this incompatibility, a natural approach is to adapt the end-system to the network. The joint source-channel coding approach aims to efficiently perform content-aware cross-layerresource allocation, thus increasing the communication efficiency of multiple network layers. Our purpose in this book is to review the basic elements of the state-of-the-art approaches toward joint source-channel video transmission for wired and wireless systems. In this book, we present a general resource-distortion optimization framework, which is used throughout the book to guide our discussions on various techniques of joint source-channel video transmission. In this framework, network resources from multiple layers are assigned to each video packet according to its level of importance. It provides not only an optimization benchmark against which the performance of other sub-optimal systems can be evaluated, but also a useful tool for assessing the effectiveness of different error control components in practical system design. This book is therefore written to be accessible to researchers, expert industrial R&D engineers, and university students who are interested in the cutting edge technologies in joint source-channel video transmission. Contents: Introduction / Elements of a Video Communication System / Joint Source-Channel Coding / Error-Resilient Video Coding / Channel Modeling and Channel Coding / Internet Video Transmission / Wireless Video Transmission / ConclusionsSpringer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 152 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -In this work, an iterative approach using the finite difference frequency domain method is presented to solve the problem of scattering from large-scale electromagnetic structures. The idea of the proposed iterative approach is to divide one computational domain into smaller subregions and solve each subregion separately. Then the subregion solutions are combined iteratively to obtain a solution for the complete domain. As a result, a considerable reduction in the computation time and memory is achieved. This procedure is referred to as the iterative multiregion (IMR) technique. Different enhancement procedures are investigated and introduced toward the construction of this technique. These procedures are the following: 1) a hybrid technique combining the IMR technique and a method of moment technique is found to be efficient in producing accurate results with a remarkable computer memory saving; 2) the IMR technique is implemented on a parallel platform that led to a tremendous computational time saving; 3) together, the multigrid technique and the incomplete lower and upper preconditioner are used with the IMR technique to speed up the convergence rate of the final solution, which reduces the total computational time. Thus, the proposed iterative technique, in conjunction with the enhancement procedures, introduces a novel approach to solving large open-boundary electromagnetic problems including unconnected objects in an efficient and robust way. Contents: Basics of the FDFD Method / IMR Technique for Large-Scale Electromagnetic Scattering Problems: 3D Case / IMR Technique for Large-Scale Electromagnetic Scattering Problems: 2D Case / The IMR Algorithm Using a Hybrid FDFD and Method of Moments Technique / Parallelization of the Iterative Multiregion Technique / Combined Multigrid Technique and IMR Algorithm / Concluding Remarks / AppendicesSpringer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 108 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book presents a method that allows the use of multiresolution principles in a time domain electromagnetic modeling technique that is applicable to general structures. The multiresolution time-domain (MRTD) technique, as it is often called, is presented for general basis functions. Additional techniques that are presented here allow the modeling of complex structures using a subcell representation that permits the modeling discrete electromagnetic effects at individual equivalent grid points. This is accomplished by transforming the application of the effects at individual points in the grid into the wavelet domain. In this work, the MRTD technique is derived for a general wavelet basis using a relatively compact vector notation that both makes the technique easier to understand and illustrates the differences between MRTD basis functions. In addition, techniques such as the uniaxial perfectly matched layer (UPML) for arbitrary wavelet resolution and non-uniform gridding are presented. Using these techniques, any structure that can be simulated in Yee-FDTD can be modeled with in MRTD.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 120 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This lecture presents research on a general framework for perceptual organization that was conducted mainly at the Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Systems of the University of Southern California. It is not written as a historical recount of the work, since the sequence of the presentation is not in chronological order. It aims at presenting an approach to a wide range of problems in computer vision and machine learning that is data-driven, local and requires a minimal number of assumptions. The tensor voting framework combines these properties and provides a unified perceptual organization methodology applicable in situations that may seem heterogeneous initially. We show how several problems can be posed as the organization of the inputs into salient perceptual structures, which are inferred via tensor voting. The work presented here extends the original tensor voting framework with the addition of boundary inference capabilities; a novel re-formulation of the framework applicable to high-dimensional spaces and the development of algorithms for computer vision and machine learning problems. We show complete analysis for some problems, while we briefly outline our approach for other applications and provide pointers to relevant sources.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 140 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This monograph describes the Reaction Wheel Pendulum, the newest inverted-pendulum-like device for control education and research. We discuss the history and background of the reaction wheel pendulum and other similar experimental devices. We develop mathematical models of the reaction wheel pendulum in depth, including linear and nonlinear models, and models of the sensors and actuators that are used for feedback control. We treat various aspects of the control problem, from linear control of themotor, to stabilization of the pendulum about an equilibrium configuration using linear control, to the nonlinear control problem of swingup control. We also discuss hybrid and switching control, which is useful for switching between the swingup and balance controllers. We also discuss important practical issues such as friction modeling and friction compensation, quantization of sensor signals, and saturation. This monograph can be used as a supplement for courses in feedback control at the undergraduate level, courses in mechatronics, or courses in linear and nonlinear state space control at the graduate level. It can also be used as a laboratory manual and as a reference for research in nonlinear control.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 112 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Tensor Properties of Solids presents the phenomenological development of solid state properties represented as matter tensors in two parts: Part I on equilibrium tensor properties and Part II on transport tensor properties.Part I begins with an introduction to tensor notation, transformations, algebra, and calculus together with the matrix representations. Crystallography, as it relates to tensor properties of crystals, completes the background treatment. A generalized treatment of solid-state equilibrium thermodynamics leads to the systematic correlation of equilibrium tensor properties. This is followed by developments covering first-, second-, third-, and higher-order tensor effects. Included are the generalized compliance and rigidity matrices for first-order tensor properties, Maxwell relations, effect of measurement conditions, and the dependent coupled effects and use of interaction diagrams. Part I concludes with the second- and higher-order effects, including numerous optical tensor properties.Part II presents the driving forces and fluxes for the well-known proper conductivities. An introduction to irreversible thermodynamics includes the concepts of microscopic reversibility, Onsager's reciprocity principle, entropy density production, and the proper choice of the transport parameters. This is followed by the force-flux equations for electronic charge and heat flow and the relationships between the proper conductivities and phenomenological coefficients. The thermoelectric effects in solids are discussed and extended to the piezothermoelectric and piezoresistance tensor effects. The subjects of thermomagnetic, galvanomagnetic, and thermogalvanomagnetic effects are developed together with other higher-order magnetotransport property tensors.A glossary of terms, expressions, and symbols are provided at the end of the text, and end-of-chapter problems are provided on request. Endnotes provide the necessary references for further reading.Table of Contents: I. Equilibrium Tensor Properties of Solids / Introduction / Introduction to Tensor Notation, Tensor Transformations, Tensor Calculus, and Matrix Representation / Crystal Systems, Symmetry Elements, and Symmetry Transformations / Generalized Thermostatics and the Systematic Correlation of Physical Properties / The Dependent Coupled Effects and the Interrelationships Between First-Order Tensor Properties - Use of Interaction Diagrams / Third- and Fourth-Rank Tensor Properties - Symmetry Considerations / Second- and Higher-Order Effects - Symmetry Considerations / II. Transport Properties of Solids / Introduction to Transport Properties and the Thermodynamics of Irreversible Processes / Thermoelectric, Piezothermoelectric, and Diffusive Effects in Solids / Effect of Magnetic Field on the Transport Properties / Appendix A: Magnetic Tensor Properties, Magnetic Crystals, and the Combined Space-Time Transformations / Endnotes / Glossary / Biography / IndexSpringer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 252 pp. Englisch.