VISTAnet and MICA: medical applications leading to the NCIH

Medical applications employing an ATM network have been under development with the VISTAnet and Medical Information Communication Application (MICA) trials in North Carolina. The extraordinary switching and transport capabilities of ATM networks represent an enabling technology for many health care applications. VISTAnet and MICA have provided early experience with the networks to support such applications. The NCIH will provide a public ATM platform to expand such efforts throughout North Carolina, and will ultimately provide universal access to a myriad of public information services. VISTAnet has enabled studies in high-speed computation and networking, along with real-time multidimensional imaging. As a result, a new dynamic radiation therapy planning process has been developed that promises to advance the state of the art for radiation treatment. This articles describes the early medical prototype applications of VISTAnet and MICA, and discusses some of the emerging medical applications to be implemented in the NCIH, based on the information learned in the VISTAnet and MICA trials     

Sliding-Mode Control With Soft Computing: A Survey

Sliding-mode control (SMC) has been studied extensively for over 50 years and widely used in practical applications due to its simplicity and robustness against parameter variations and disturbances. Despite the extensive research activities carried out, the key technical problems associated with SMC remain as challenging research questions due to demands for new industrial applications and technological advances. In this respect, soft computing (SC) is a rather recent development in intelligent systems which has provided alternative means for adaptive learning and control to overcome the key SMC technical problems. Substantial efforts in integration of SMC with SC have been placed in recent years with various successes. In this paper, we provide the state of the art of recent developments in SMC systems with SC, examining key technical research issues and future perspectives.      

Packet scheduling in 3.5G high-speed downlink packet access networks: breadth and depth

Forecasts for emerging mobile device markets anticipate that bandwidth will be squeezed by demanding applications like multimedia on demand. This will spur the need for data rates beyond what the upcoming 3G wireless cellular systems such as UMTS can offer. To boost the support for such high data rates, HSDPA, labeled as a 3.5G wireless system, has been introduced in Release 5 of UMTS technical specifications. HSDPA is a definite step toward meeting the "anywhere, anytime, and in any form" 4G communication concept. HSDPA promises a peak data rate of up to 10 Mb/s, five times larger than the data rate offered by 3G systems. In order to support such high data rates, HSDPA relies on many new technologies, among which is packet scheduling. In this article we provide breadth and depth related issues of packet scheduling in HSDPA, discuss state-of-the-art HSDPA scheduling algorithms in terms of their objectives, advantages, and limitations, and suggest further research issues that need to be addressed. In addition, we propose a packet scheduling algorithm for data traffic in HSDPA. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm     

Internet-based research: providing a foundation for web-design guidelines

In this article, we propose that remote, internet-based studies of real users interacting with real websites on their own computers at a time and place convenient for them will provide a solid empirical base from which researchers can extrapolate reliable and valid web-design guidelines. After a discussion of research methods that have been used to support the principles that underlie web-design guidelines, we review some of the methodological issues associated with internet-based research and tools for supporting such work. Given advances in technology, the multitude of users online, and emerging technologies with new interfaces, the time has come for technical communication researchers to enter the arena of internet-based research and conduct remote experiments to support the web-design guidelines that they espouse.     

Self-assembled semiconductor structures: electronic andoptoelectronic properties

Strained epitaxy has been shown to produce pyramidal-shaped semiconductor dot structures by single-step epitaxy. The very high density of these dots (approaching per wafer) and their ever improving uniformity suggest that these features could have important applications in future microelectronics. Understanding the structural and electronic properties of these quantum dots is therefore of great importance. In this paper, we examine some of the physics controlling the performance of devices that could be made from such structures. The self-assembled quantum dots are highly strained and we will examine the strain tensor in these quantum dots using a valence force-field model. In this paper we will address the following issues: (1) What is the general nature of the strain tensor in self assembled quantum dots? (2) What are the electron and hole spectra for InAs-GaAs quantum dots? (a) What are the important intersubband radiative and nonradiative scattering processes in the self assembled quantum dots? In particular, we will discuss how the electron-phonon interactions are modified in the quantum dot structures. Consequences for uncooled intersubband devices such as lasers, detectors, and quantum transistors will be briefly discussed     

Single Atom Excels as the Smallest Functional Material

The emerging single‐atom field spans single‐atom catalysis in chemistry and single‐atom manipulation in physics up to the state‐of‐the‐art characterization via imaging and spectroscopy. These interdisciplinary progresses have been interacted closely with the development of materials science, underscoring the principle that the single atom excels as the smallest functional material. This simple concept not only permits to reinvent our understanding of the nature of materials, but also promises unambiguously to have a great impact on other physical sciences.     

Federated management of the Future Internet: status and challenges

The Internet's original static services have been superseded by rich multimedia services with stringent end‐to‐end quality‐of‐service requirements. Additionally, there has been a trend from simple applications offered by a single provider towards service compositions, managed across the bounds of multiple domains. It is widely accepted that the end‐to‐end requirements of multimedia and composed services cannot be satisfied by the current Internet, which does not support inter‐domain collaboration. The network federation paradigm was advanced to address these limitations. It envisions the automatic negotiation and management of dynamic agreements between network domains, allowing them to collaborate to achieve goals they cannot achieve alone. This article presents an overview of state‐of‐the‐art research in the area of federated network management. Specifically, existing definitions are compared and aligned. Moreover, the most important efforts towards an architecture for a federated Future Internet are discussed. Finally, we have identified several important research challenges that need to be tackled before the federated Future Internet vision can be fully achieved. For each of these challenges, existing research efforts are surveyed and remaining open issues identified. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Communications Frontier Between Classical and Quantum Physics

Man's sophisticated art of communications has been built upon his ability to generate and detect coherent electromagnetic waves. This art has been pushed to higher and ever higher frequencies, until now important experimental work is being carried on in the neighborhood of one millimeter wavelength.     

Integrated electronics—A perspective

Integrated electronics promises to increase both the rate of change within the electronics industry and the pervasiveness of electronics as a whole, making it possible to remove very fundamental and interrelated limitations to applying the knowledge and tools of electronics, the most harassing of which have been reliability, cost, complexity, and that imposed by the specialized character of and relative sophistication of the science, engineering, and art of electronics. Evaluating the history, current status and the likely future of integrated electronics, it seems now highly probable that this new technology may introduce a terminal phase in which electronics will pervade all segments of our society to which it has pertinence. Basic requirements to ensure this appear to be 1) A relatively concentrated, highly-automated industrial complex to supply integrated circuitry and closely related compatible discrete componentry and 2) Establishment by this integrated-circuits industry of a common language for the input and output parameters which specifies its products, ultimately making it possible for members of other disciplines and professions to utilize, without themselves being electronics specialists, the knowledge, tools, and skills of electronics for the benefit of all of society.     

Resonant tunneling diodes: models and properties

The resonant tunneling diode (RTD) has been widely studied because of its importance in the field of nanoelectronic science and technology and its potential applications in very high speed/functionality devices and circuits. Even though much progress has been made in this regard, additional work is needed to realize the full potential of RTD's. As research on RTD's continues, we will try in this tutorial review to provide the reader with an overall and succinct picture of where we stand in this exciting field or research and to address the following questions: What makes RTD's so attractive? To what extent can RTD's be modeled for design purposes? What are the required and achievable device properties in terms of digital logic applications? To address these issues, we review the device operational principles, various modeling approaches, and major device properties. Comparisons among the various RTD physical models and major features of RTD's, resonant interband tunneling diodes, and Esaki tunnel diodes are presented. The tutorial and analysis provided in this paper may help the reader in becoming familiar with current research efforts, as well as to examine the important aspects in further RTD developments and their circuit applications     

Network virtualization: state of the art and research challenges [Topics in Network and Service Management]

Recently network virtualization has been pushed forward by its proponents as a long-term solution to the gradual ossification problem faced by the existing Internet and proposed to be an integral part of the next-generation networking paradigm. By allowing multiple heterogeneous network architectures to cohabit on a shared physical substrate, network virtualization provides flexibility, promotes diversity, and promises security and increased manageability. However, many technical issues stand in the way of its successful realization. This article investigates the past and the state of the art in network virtualization along with the future challenges that must be addressed to realize a viable network virtualization environment.     

Inorganic Acid‐Impregnated Covalent Organic Gels as High‐Performance Proton‐Conductive Materials at Subzero Temperatures

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells usually suffer from severe power loss and even damage under subzero‐temperature working surroundings, which restricts their practical use in cold climates and in high‐altitude drones. One of the effective solutions to these issues is to develop new types of proton‐conductive materials at subzero temperature. This study presents a series of acylhydrazone‐based covalent organic gels (COGs). The COGs are stable in acidic media and show high proton conductivity over the temperature range of ?40 to 60 °C under anhydrous conditions. Compared with other reported organic conductive materials, both a state‐of‐the‐art conductivity of 3.8 × 10^?4 S cm^?1 at ?40 °C and superior long‐term stability are demonstrated. Moreover, the COGs possess remarkable self‐sustainability, good processability, and superior mechanical properties, and may be processed and molded into any desirable shapes for practical applications. These advantages make COGs hold great promises as solid‐state electrolytes under subzero‐temperature operating conditions.     

HDI-Technologie und die Zukunft der Leiterplatte

The last five to ten years have brought a technology-explosion in research and development of the printed circuit board (PCB). The great challenges for PCB producers have been the introduction of laser drilling and the required design-guidelines for 100 µm line and space as well as the frequent application of “state of the art” ball grid arrays (BGA) with 800 µm array pitches. The rapid development of semiconductor components resulted in smaller grid dimensions, which has been another challenge for the PCB makers. The reduction of the grid dimensions from 800 µm to 500 µm has been a big step for the PCB fabrication. However, the current degree of miniaturization even requires the transition to a 75 µm-technology. The line and space widths become ever more critical, and smaller grid dimensions require smaller laser drilled holes. Thereby the demands on the circuit carrier increase dramatically. Primarily base materials and registration techniques must be improved essentially to be able to produce these carriers with high yield and competitive costs. The usage of big production panel formats will be essential in the price war. Based on the state of the art, the aim of this contribution is to give the reader details on AT&S experiences and objectives of the establishment of new technologies. In particular, process steps such as registration, solder mask, conductor layer and base material structuring, laser and mechanical drilling as well as future surface finishing approaches are emphasized.     

A rapid prototyping/artificial intelligence approach to space station-era information management and access

This effort has focused, and continues to focus, on applying rapid prototyping and Artificial Intelligence techniques to problems associated with Space Station-era information management systems. In particular, our work is centered on issues related to (1) intelligent man-machine interfaces applied to scientific data user support and (2) the requirement that intelligent information management systems (IIMS) be able to efficiently process metadata updates concerning types of data handled. The advanced IIMS represents functional capabilities driven almost entirely by the needs of potential users. The amount and complexity of scientific data projected to be generated by Space Station-era projects (e.g., EOS [Earth Observing System]) is likely to be significantly greater than data currently processed and analyzed. Information about scientific data must be presented to potential users in a clear and concise way, with support features being incorporated to allow users at all levels of expertise efficient and cost-effective data access. Additionally, since data modifications and additions will frequently occur, mechanisms for allowing more efficient IIMS metadata update processes must be addressed. To this end, our work has examined the following aspects of IIMS design: (1) IIMS data and metadata modeling, including the automatic updating of IIMS-contained metadata, (2) IIMS user-system interface considerations, including significant problems associated with remote access, user profiles, and on-line tutorial capabilities, and (3) development of an IIMS query and browse facility, including the capability to deal with spatial information. A working prototype has been developed and is being enhanced. Future work will attempt to clarify a number of issues which have emerged from our present efforts, particularly concerning IIMS information base structure and its relationship to user-support and distributed, heterogeneous database access.     

Standardization Efforts in Fiber Optics

Experience with copper-based local area networks combined with the inherent characteristics of fiber optics is providing increased impetus for the development of fiber optic network standards. The installed base of networks that use copper wire, twisted shielded pair, and coaxial cable indicates that there will be many applications where networks will use a mix of both copper and fiber optic media. Successful standardization efforts must take this into account. There is indeed a great deal of standardization effort underway that involves fiber optic networking. Within the SAE AE9 Committee there are four standardization efforts to support the military. The IEEE (under project 802) has published four draft standards for copper-based networks and the 802.8 Fiber Optic Technical Advisory Group is studying integration of optical fibers into each of these networks. Other IEEE efforts include discussion and study of "all-fiber" networks. CBEMA is working on a token-passing ring network, and the Instrument Society of America is pursuing a mixed copper/fiber optic network implementation. Generally, requirements for fibers, sources, detectors, connectors, switches, branching devices, and other system elements are being established. This paper discusses some of the standardization efforts that are underway.     

Recent advances in metasurface hologram technologies (Invited paper)

Since Leith and Upatnieks demonstrated the first optical hologram in 1964, hologram technology has attracted a great deal of interest in a wide range of optical fields owing to its potential use in future optical applications such as holographic imaging and optical data storage. Although there have been considerable efforts to develop holographic technologies using conventional optics, critical issues still hinder future development. Recently, metasurfaces composed of artificially fabricated subwavelength structures have been considered as novel holographic devices that show an unprecedented ability to control electromagnetic waves. In this review, we outline the recent progress in metasurface holography. A general introduction to several types of metasurface holography categorized based on their physics and application is provided. Then, our personal perspective on the future of this field is discussed.     

From smart cities to smart social urbanism: A framework for shaping the socio-technological ecosystems in cities

Advocated mostly by technology companies, the smart city concept promises participation, democratization and innovative urbanism. Tracking these promises and ideas, this paper explores “smart urbanism” in ten cities from all over Israel. Based on interviews with leading figures in municipalities, smart city consultants and key figures in technological companies (n = 40), the aims of this paper are to assess the efforts of cities to become smart by responding to the following questions: 1. What is guiding the decision-making process in developing technological initiatives? 2. Does context play a role in implementing technological initiatives? 3. How are the residents perceived, and what tools are being used to address residents' digital differences? The key argument of this paper is threefold: first, in the process of becoming a smart city, the roles of public and private actors are blurred, influencing the process of decision making. Second, despite contextual differences, cities adopt similar digital initiatives. Third, technological initiatives that focus on social needs and address inequality in the digital age are still at the margins. The final discussion suggests that most municipalities are still at an early stage of digitization implementation and have the ability to shape and form a vision for the cities as socio-technological ecosystems in a way that will serve their publics as a whole. The paper ends with a call for shifting the focus from the city to society in developing digital initiatives and cultivating smart social urbanism.     

P2P网络流媒体关键技术

P2P网络流媒体技术一直是学术界和产业界的研究热点.本文围绕覆盖网络拓扑结构,对现有的P2P流媒体系统作了全面的归类总结,深入介绍和分析了覆盖网络构建、数据块调度策略等P2P流媒体核心技术,并概要讨论视频编码、网络编码、覆盖网络拓扑优化、安全与激励机制等P2P流媒体相关增强技术.对典型P2P流媒体系统的性能进行了比较,...     

Recent advances in power electronics technology for industrial andtraction machine drives

This paper presents a review of the state of the art of power electronics technology in both industrial and traction drive application. Key development trends include the dominance of AC adjustable-speed drives in new applications, with the squirrel-cage induction machine as the preferred machine in most cases. Particularly striking has been the rapid ascendance of the insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) as the predominant power switch in both industrial and traction applications ranging from fractional kilowatts to multimegawatts. Key current issues such as industrial drive input power quality and the effects of fast IGBT switching transients on the machines and electromagnetic interference (EMI) production are reviewed. Developments in electric traction for both rail and road vehicles are discussed, including the increasing modularity of new traction inverters in all sizes and the market introduction of new hybrid vehicles using advanced power electronics. The paper concludes with a discussion of expected future trends in power electronics technology that will likely expand the markets for industrial and traction drives during coming years     

毫米波技术及应用进展

近十年来世界范围的毫米波技术研究不断向前推进。随着毫米波技术的日趋成熟，毫米波的应用领域不断扩大。为军事需要而发展起来的毫米波技术正在开拓广泛的民用市场。本文综述毫米波技术及其应用进展。