‘Why some companies dominate and others fail’

When Kevin Kennedy, COO for Openwave Systems (on the boards of Quantum Corp, JDS Uniphase and formerly with both Cisco and Bell Laboratories) turned his agile mind to writing a joint book with the former VP operations and director of human resources at Stanford University, Mary Moore, it comes as no surprise that “Going the Distance” focuses on the high technology sector and definitely goes its own distance.     

MPEG-4: Why,what, how and when?

The MPEG-4 Version 1 standard has been recently finalized. Since MPEG-4 adopted an object-based audiovisual representation model with hyperlinking and interaction capabilities and supports both natural and synthetic content, it is expected that this standard will become the information coding playground for future multimedia applications. This paper intends to give an overview on the MPEG-4 motivations, objectives, achievements, process and workplan, providing a stimulating starting point for more detailed reading.     

There are better ways to transfer data in a secure and reliable way

When transferring large amounts of data over an optical network, both you and your customers demand security and reliability. With ZXMP M800, our Optical Add-Drop Multiplexer, offers that and more. It smoothly upgrades to 2-80 wavelengths, maximizes your bandwidth resources and gives stable transmissions with multi-service and optical layer protection. You get a future-proof solution for your Local Backbone and Metro networks, serving as great platform for your Gigabit Ethernet network a…     

A novel ±0.5 V,high current drive,and rail to rail current operational amplifier

A current operational amplifier (COA) with very high current drive capability is presented in this paper. The principle of operation of this unique structure is discussed, its most important formulas are derived and its outstanding performance is verified by HSPICE simulation in TSMC 0.18 μm CMOS, BSIM3, and Level49 technology. Owing to the elaborately arranged components, the proposed circuit demonstrates very high frequency bandwidth, extremely high CMRR, high output impedance, and true rail to rail output voltage swing range while operating at very low power supply of ±0.5 V. The interesting results such as current drive capability of ±1 mA, high output impedance of 5 GΩ, wide gain bandwidth of 220 MHz, extremely high output voltage swing of ±0.45 V, which interestingly provides the highest yet reported output voltage compliance for current mode building blocks implemented by regular CMOS technology, low static power consumption of 159 μW, and very high CMRR of 155 dB is achieved utilizing standard CMOS technology. Full process, voltage, and temperature variation analysis of the circuit is also investigated in order to approve the well robustness of the structure. The transient stepwise and sinusoidal response analysis is also done to verify the proposed COA stability.     

There is a way to set your customers free, and still make them come back to you.

When people and their needs are out of reach of your fixed network, you should consider ZiMAX, our WiMAX solution. It gives you a flying start when bringing your network to new customer groups, whether it is for hotspots, wireless backhaul or for covering remote areas. Our 2MAX solution gives you smooth integration and maximum flexibility, and we have the equipment you need for a wider scope of services and a unified network. Fixed-mobile convergence has never been more cost-effective. ZT…     

Kumar’s, Zipf’s and other laws: how to structure a large-scale wireless network?

Networks with a very large number of nodes are known to suffer from scalability problems, influencing throughput, delay, and other quality-of-service parameters. Mainly applicable to wireless sensor networks, this paper extends prior work and aims to give some fundamental indications on a scalable and optimum (or near-optimum) structuring approach for large-scale wireless networks. In: European wireless 2007, Paris, April 2007 (conference CD-ROM), 2007) and aims to give some fundamental indications on a scalable and optimum (or near-optimum) structuring approach for large-scale wireless networks. Scalability and optimality will be defined with relation to various performance criteria, an example of which is the throughput per node in the network. Various laws known from different domains will be invoked to quantify the performance of a given topology; most notably, we will make use of the well-known Kumar’s law, as well as less-known Zipf’s and other scaling laws. Optimum network structures are derived and discussed for a plethora of different scenarios, facilitating knowledgeable design guidelines for these types of networks.     

Should I scan my face? The influence of perceived value and trust on Chinese users’ intention to use facial recognition payment

While China has seen the widespread adoption of facial recognition payment, concerns over the potential risks impede the further growth of user acceptance. Drawing on the perspectives of perceived value and trust, we developed a research model to explore how the Chinese users’ trade-off between perceived benefits (perceived convenience and perceived novelty) and perceived risks (perceived privacy risk and perceived financial risk) influences their usage intention. Based on survey data from 1,200 Chinese mobile payment users, this study uses structural equation modeling to examine the hypotheses. Our results show that perceived convenience positively influences perceived value, while privacy risk and financial risk negatively influence perceived value and trust. Although perceived novelty has no significant effect on perceived value and trust, perceived value positively influences trust, and both of them have a positive effect on the intention to use. Furthermore, our moderation analysis indicates that the influence of perceived value on the intention to use is stronger among users who consider facial information to be more sensitive. The theoretical implications for research as well as the practical implications for practitioners are also discussed.     

Why Do Block Length and Delay Behave Differently if Feedback Is Present?

For output-symmetric discrete memoryless channels (DMCs) at even moderately high rates, fixed-block-length communication systems show no improvements in their error exponents with feedback. This paper studies systems with fixed end-to-end delay and shows that feedback generally provides dramatic gains in the error exponents. A new upper bound (the uncertainty-focusing bound) is given on the probability of symbol error in a fixed-delay communication system with feedback. This bound turns out to have a form similar to Viterbi's bound used for the block error probability of convolutional codes as a function of the fixed constraint length. The uncertainty-focusing bound is shown to be asymptotically achievable with noiseless feedback for erasure channels as well as for any output-symmetric DMC that has strictly positive zero-error capacity. Furthermore, it can be achieved in a delay-universal (anytime) fashion even if the feedback itself is delayed by a small amount. Finally, it is shown that for end-to-end delay, it is generally possible at high rates to beat the sphere-packing bound for general DMCs - thereby providing a counterexample to a conjecture of Pinsker.     

Why are fewer cases going to trial? Also: ADR in the energy industry

More from a CPR Meeting: a segment discusses a session devoted to explaining why fewer cases go to trial in federal and state courts today. A “sizable increase in ADR” is at least part of the explanation.     

Why run 16 research and development centers in 3 continents? Wouldn’t one do?

We keep about 16,000 engineers on the ground across three continents to hear and understand your customers’ demands.     

Edge robotics: are we ready? an experimental evaluation of current vision and future directions

Cloud-based robotics systems leverage a wide range of Information Technologies (IT) to offer tangible benefits like cost reduction, powerful computational capabilities, data offloading, etc. However, the centralized nature of cloud computing is not well-suited for a multitude of Operational Technologies (OT) nowadays used in robotics systems that require strict real-time guarantees and security. Edge computing and fog computing are complementary approaches that aim at mitigating some of these challenges by providing computing capabilities closer to the users. The goal of this work is hence threefold: i) to analyze the current edge computing and fog computing landscape in the context of robotics systems, ii) to experimentally evaluate an end-to-end robotics system based on solutions proposed in the literature, and iii) to experimentally identify current benefits and open challenges of edge computing and fog computing. Results show that, in the case of an exemplary delivery application comprising two mobile robots, the robot coordination and range can be improved by consuming real-time radio information available at the edge. However, our evaluation highlights that the existing software, wireless and virtualization technologies still require substantial evolution to fully support edge-based robotics systems.     

Unification of cyber-jurisdiction rules: just how close are the EU and the US?

The evolution of Internet law has been following the path already seen in the development of lex mercatoria, which has long sought to harmonize commercial law at the international level to avoid uncertainties arising from conflicting legal frameworks. Cyber law, and lex mercatoria before it, started with protocols devised by industry, progressed to state legislation, and then became the subject of international treaties and agreements. By the time that governments became interested in regulating the Internet, a system of regulation had already been devised by online users and was proving capable of independent operation. Difficulties related to fitting e-commerce into the framework of existing legal systems are evident in the regulatory regimes of the EU and the US. Although the EU and US have been taking different paths in regulating online commerce, the approaches will increasingly be harmonized.     

On the optimal defibrillation waveform--how to reconcile theory and experiment?

Medical intervention by electrical current as applied to humans or animals may have tremendous therapeutic impact if delivered while being carefully controlled. Otherwise, the situation can be harmful in terms of injury or even become lethal. These consequences demand close inspection of all relevant biological and technical factors. Regarding methods to counter fibrillation of the heart substantial progress has been made, but defining a gold standard for the waveshape and energy delivery remains a serious challenge. The anticipated answer is not simply a range somewhere between a maximum and a minimum, but most likely an "intelligently" selected case-specific optimum, delicately positioned between effective and unsafe. Combining insight from theory with pertinent experimental findings may offer a clearer view on an unresolved issue that often points to a cross-road of life and death.     

Can energy optimization lead to economic and environmental waste in LPWAN architectures?

As low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) end devices (EDs) are deployed in massive scale, their economic and environmental costs of operation are becoming too significant to ignore and too difficult to estimate. While LPWAN architectures and protocols are designed to primarily save energy, this study shows that energy saving does not necessarily lead to lower cost or environmental footprint of the network. Accordingly, a theoretical framework is proposed to estimate the operational expenditure (OpEx) and environmental footprint of LPWAN EDs. An extended constrained optimization model is provided for the ED link assignment to gateways (GWs) based on heterogeneous ED configurations and hardware specifications. Based on the models, a simulation framework is developed which demonstrates that OpEx, energy consumption, and environmental footprint can be in conflict with each other as constrained optimization objectives. We demonstrate different ways to achieve compromises in each dimension for overall improved network performance.     

Accurate surface potential determination in Schottky diodes by use of correlated current and capacitance voltage measurements. Application to n–InP

Based on current voltage (I-V_g) and capacitance voltage (C-V_g) measurements, a reliable procedure is proposed to determine the effective surface potential V_d.V_g/ in Schottky diodes. In the framework of thermionic emission, our analysis includes both the effect of the series resistance and the ideality factor, even voltage dependent. This technique is applied to n-type indium phosphide (n-InP) Schottky diodes with and without an interfacial layer and allows us to provide an interpretation of the observed peak on the C-V_g measurements. The study clearly shows that the depletion width and the flat band barrier height deduced from C-V_g, which are important parameters directly related to the surface potential in the semiconductor, should be estimated within our approach to obtain more reliable information.     

Does information and communication technology and financial development lead to environmental sustainability in India? An empirical insight

This paper examines the relationship between CO₂ emissions, electricity consumption, financial development, Economic growth, Informational Communication Technology (ICT) from 1990 to 2018 in India. We have applied the structural break co-integration approach like Gregory Hansen approach to check long-term relations between the variables. ARDL bounds testing approach is used to know the long run and short-run elasticity. We find that electricity consumption is positively contributing CO₂ emissions or reducing environmental sustainability in India. However, ICT has negative and significantly improving environmental sustainability or reducing emissions when measured in both ICT internet connection (ICT_INT) and ICT mobile Phones (ICT_MOB). Similarly, financial development and CO₂ emissions are negatively related. The result indicates the existence of Environmental Kuznets Curve in India's case. Overall, environmental sustainability achieved in ICT and financial development sectors. Therefore govt. needs to focus more on the stringent policy in electricity production by investing more in the renewable energy sector to curb environmental degradation.     

What is a Spectrum Hole and What Does it Take to Recognize One?

“Spectrum holes” represent the potential opportunities for noninterfering (safe) use of spectrum and can be considered as multidimensional regions within frequency, time, and space. The main challenge for secondary radio systems is to be able to robustly sense when they are within such a spectrum hole. To allow a unified discussion of the core issues in spectrum sensing, the “weighted probability of area recovered” (WPAR) metric is introduced to measure the performance of a sensing strategy; and the “fear of harmful interference” $F_{rm HI}$ metric is introduced to measure its safety. These metrics explicitly consider the impact of asymmetric uncertainties (and misaligned incentives) in the system model. Furthermore, they allow a meaningful comparison of diverse approaches to spectrum sensing unlike the traditional triad of sensitivity, probability of false-alarm $P_{rm FA}$, and probability of missed-detection $P_{rm MD}$. These new metrics are used to show that fading uncertainty forces the WPAR performance of single-radio sensing algorithms to be very low for small values of $F_{rm HI}$, even for ideal detectors. Cooperative sensing algorithms enable a much higher WPAR, but only if users are guaranteed to experience independent fading. Lastly, in-the-field calibration for wide-band (but uncertain) environment variables (e.g., interference and shadowing) can robustly guarantee safety (low $F_{rm HI}$ ) even in the face of potentially correlated users without sacrificing WPAR.      

Why do people access news with mobile devices? Exploring the role of suitability perception and motives on mobile news use

Using self-reported survey data (N = 281), the present study explores the structural relationships among mobile users’ perceptions of the suitability of two types of mobile news (political feature news and entertainment news), users’ motivations for mobile news usage, and their behavioral patterns. Our findings show that two types of perceived suitability for mobile news, particularly for political feature news, are strongly associated with all dimensions of motivations for mobile news usage. Furthermore, as predicted, our findings show that the information-seeking motive is the very factor that determines mobile news usage. The results also reveal that the accessibility motive mediates the relationship between the perceived suitability of obtaining news via a mobile device and users’ mobile news behavior. However, contrary to our expectation, the social utility motive does not mediate the relationship between users’ perceptions of the suitability of mobile devices for this purpose and their mobile news usage. Finally, the information-seeking and accessibility motives each have an indirect effect on the association between perceived suitability and mobile news usage. The implications of the study and recommendations for future research are also discussed.     

Is it feasible to reconstruct body segment 3-D position and orientation using accelerometric data?

The analysis of the mechanics of the musculo-skeletal system during the execution of a motor task requires the determination of the instantaneous position and orientation of the body segments involved in relation to an inertial system of reference. By using adequately assembled uniaxial accelerometric sensors, an easy-to-manage measurement system can be obtained that estimates the three-dimensional position and orientation (P&O) of a body segment through an appropriate analytical model. However, the extent to which experimental errors, in particular accelerometers (ACs) assembly inaccuracies, affect such estimation has never been systematically investigated. This paper systematically analyzes the sensitivity of analytical models of body segment P&O reconstruction through a six-AC system and a nine-AC system to different sources of experimental error. We simulated and statistically assessed the performance of these models in the case of body segment motions typical of movements under muscular control. The results obtained indicated that the inaccuracy in the orientation of the individual AC's active axes and the offset error in the AC responses were the major sources of P&O estimation errors. In particular, no accurate estimation of position was possible with the analytical models analyzed. Under the motion conditions simulated in this study, no substantial advantages were found in using a nine-AC system rather than a six-AC system. Considering that the magnitudes of the simulated experimental errors were quite low (< or = 0.1 deg: AC's orientation; < or = 10(-4) m: uncertainty of the distance between two ACs; < or = 10(-2) ms(-2): random error; 0.5 x 10(-2) ms(-2): offset error), the results indicate that none of the two ACs systems analyzed is suitable for body segment P&O estimation in routine biomechanical applications.