From embedded sensors to sensorial materials—The road to function scale integration

Ubiquitous computing is about to become part of our everyday lives by integrating hundreds of “invisible” to us computing devices in our environment, so that they can unobtrusively and constantly assist us. This will imply more and smaller “invisible” sensors, homogeneously distributed and at the same time densely packed in host materials, responding to various stimuli and immediately delivering information. In order to reach this aim, the embedded sensors should be integrated within the host material, heading towards sensorial materials. The first step is to omit all parts that are not needed for the sensorial task and to find new solutions for a gentle integration. This is what we call function scale integration. The paper discusses sensor embedding in the human hand as an example of integration in nature, new technological applications and main challenges associated with this approach.     

Monitoring post-tsunami vegetation recovery in Phang-Nga province,Thailand, based on IKONOS imagery and field investigations – a contribution to the analysis of tsunami vulnerability of coastal ecosystems

A major tsunami in December 2004 devastated the coastal ecosystems along the Andaman Sea coast of Thailand. Since intact coastal ecosystems provide many important services for local communities at the Andaman Sea, it is crucial to investigate to what extent (in terms of percentage area and speed) the affected ecosystems were capable of recovering after the tsunami. Field measurements and multi-date IKONOS imagery were used to estimate the recovery and succession patterns of coastal vegetation types in the Phang-Nga province of Thailand, three years after the tsunami. Thus, this study contributes to a holistic understanding of the ecological vulnerability of the coastal area to tsunamis. A zone-based change detection approach is applied by comparing two change detection techniques: the first method involves the calculation of a recovery rate based on multi-temporal TNDVI (transformed normalized difference vegetation index) images (TNDVI approach), whereas the second approach is a combined approach of the change vector analysis (CVA). Although these two methods provide different types of information (quantitative for the TNDVI approach, qualitative for the CVA), they are comparable in terms of results and accuracies. The results reveal that recovery processes vary based on the type of the ecosystem and, furthermore, are strongly influenced by human activities. Grasslands, coconut plantations and the mixed vegetation cover could recover faster than the mangroves and casuarina forests. Among the forest ecosystems, recovery rates of casuarina forests were higher than for mangroves, but the recovery area was smaller. This study also discusses the potential and some limitations and inaccuracies of applying high-resolution optical imagery for assessing vegetation recovery at a local scale.     

Fixing User Authentication for the Internet of Things (IoT)

Over the last few years Internet of Things products have become known for their weak security. News articles regularly describe security vulnerabilities of cars, surveillance cameras, kettles, and other IoT devices. There are, however, recent standardization activities addressing some of these security challenges. This article describes how the work of the IETF and the FIDO Alliance can lead to improved security.     

徘徊的残像——Ben van Berkel访谈录

BenvanBerkel曾就读于阿姆斯特丹Rietveld学院和伦敦建筑协会建筑学院（AA）。1988年．他和艺术历史学家CarolineBos共同创立了UNStudio。1996年。他参与鹿特丹知名的伊拉斯谟大桥的外形设计。这深刻地影响了他对当代建筑的理解．从而形成自己独具一格的风格。亦成为UNStudio营运理念的基础。BenvanBerkeI在许多知名的大学担任过客座讲师。与他人合作撰写了大量论文和专著。BenvanBerkel目前是德国法兰克福StaedeIschule概念设计系的教授和建筑学院院长。而他在中国的第一个项目，已开始在杭州建设。     

The statistics of the thermal motion of the atoms during imaging process in transmission electron microscopy and related techniques

The concern of this work is the influence of the thermal motion of the atoms on electron scattering simulations, used for quantitative interpretation of results in high-resolution electron microscopy. We distinguish between the influence of inelastic phonon excitation and the effect of a moving lattice on images generated by elastically scattered electrons. It is shown that, analog to aberrations, the impact of a moving lattice differs substantially with respect to different imaging conditions and cannot be described by the Debye–Waller damping applicable in XRD. We derive a new formalism, based on the frozen lattice and multislice approach, to incorporate the statistics of the thermal motion into elastic TEM imaging simulations, taking into account different imaging conditions. The averaging over different atom positions is generally performed within a density matrix framework, which can be linearized in the special case of off-axis electron holography. All findings are supported by explicit numerical simulations: molecular dynamics simulations are performed to get a realistic thermal motion and the electron scattering simulations are performed within the new multislice algorithm.     

The sources of normativity: Young children's awareness of the normative structure of games.

In two studies, the authors investigated 2- and 3-year-old children's awareness of the normative structure of conventional games. In the target conditions, an experimenter showed a child how to play a simple rule game. After the child and the experimenter had played for a while, a puppet came (controlled by a 2nd experimenter), asked to join in, and then performed an action that constituted a mistake in the game. In control conditions, the puppet performed the exact same action as in the experimental conditions, but the context was different such that this act did not constitute a mistake. Children's normative responses to the puppet's acts (e.g., protest, critique, or teaching) were scored. Both age groups performed more normative responses in the target than in the control conditions, but the 3-year-olds did so on a more explicit level. These studies demonstrate in a particularly strong way that even very young children have some grasp of the normative structure of conventional activities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Standsicherheitsuntersuchungen sowie Aufschluss- und Abbauplanung der Erweiterung des Steinbruchs Fischbach in Oberbayern der Rohrdorfer Gruppe

This article deals with the extension of the quarry “Fischbach” in Upper Bavaria. In the quarry primarily limestone is mined, which is further transported to Rohrdorf for cement production. For the planned expansion firstly a geotechnical mapping of all benches is made. All benches are divided into segments, then gap data are taken. In addition, rock samples are taken from the mining area and uniaxial compressive tests are carried out. This data is basis of a differentiated geomechanical classification of the benches and slopes. The subsequent rock classification defines the rock strength of individual bench-areas. Furthermore, the slopes are tested on stability in actual condition and after enlargement. This happens on the one hand through a regional breakdown, on the other hand through a local viewing on benches. These stability considerations yield factors of safety and let assume a safe slope height.