P2P Content Distribution to Mobile Bluetooth Users

Using handheld devices such as cellular phones and smart phones for personal entertainment has become commonplace in today’s lifestyle. Virtually all of these devices are equipped with Bluetooth technology that can be used to distribute entertainment contents such as music and movie clips. Mobile users can download content from the opportunistically available infrastructure (e.g., Digital Billboards) as well as direct Peer- oPeer (P2P) collaboration which significantly increases content availability/coverage. P2P content distribution protocol design is heavily influenced by the characteristics of Bluetooth, which is the main departure from Internet-based content distribution. However, little has been done to understand the performance of overall Bluetooth operations, ranging from peer discovery to data downloading, in dynamic environments with  mobility, interference, and different Bluetooth versions/chipsets. In this paper, we first perform extensive experiments to measure the performance of Bluetooth in dynamic environments. We find that Bluetooth-based content distribution faces several challenges such as time/energy consuming resource discovery and limited bandwidth even with the enhanced features of the latest Bluetooth version. We then propose trategies that can effectively improve the performance of resource discovery and downloading phases.Our simulation and experimental results document the improvements obtained with our proposed techniques.

Noise Reduction Techniques for Microcontroller-Based Systems

With today’s advancements in semiconductor technology and the push toward faster microcontroller units (MCUs) and peripherals, new product designs are faced with an increasing threat from electromagnetic interference (EMI). Earlier, the issue of emission and interference was referred to as EMI or RFI (for radio frequency interference). It is now referred to in more positive terms by replacing interference"withcompatability." Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) encompasses both emission and

susceptibility for a given system. Although this application note focuses primarily on emission, some of the guidelines presented throughout this document will affect susceptibility as well. EMI can, and often does, cause delays in the product development schedule. Early and continuous attention to the effects of EMC/EMI will give the product the best possible chance for minimum cost and schedule delays, while lack of attention in this area will almost certainly translate to added cost and schedule delay.

Automated Defect Recognition Method by Using Digital Image Processing

As existing infrastructure systems are aged and deteriorated rapidly, state agencies started searching for more advanced ways to maintain their valuable assets to the acceptable level. One of them is the application of digital image processing. Recently, in the civil engineering domain, digital image processing methods have been developed to the areas of pavement conditions, underground pipeline inspection, and steel bridge coating assessment. The main reasons to count on the advanced technology are due to such advantages as accuracy, objectivity, speed, and consistency. These distinct advantages have brought attention to state agencies to minimize the shortcomings of existing inspection practices. This paper deals with a digital image processing method to apply it to the evaluation of steel bridge coating conditions. Infrastructure condition assessment can be made more accurately and quickly with the aid of computerized processing system. The proposed method in this paper was designed to recognize the existence of bridge coating rust defects. It was developed by making pair-wise comparisons between a defective group and a non-defective group and generating eigenvalues to separate two groups. An automated defect recognition method can make a decision whether a given digitized image contains defects. 

As existing infrastructure systems are aged and deteriorated rapidly, state agencies started searching for more advanced ways to maintain their valuable assets to the acceptable level. One of them is the application of digital image processing. Recently, in the civil engineering domain, digital image processing methods have been developed to the areas of pavement conditions, underground pipeline inspection, and steel bridge coating assessment (H. D. Cheng et al. 1999, S. K. Sinha et al. 2003, S. Lee et al. 2005). The main reasons to count on the advanced technology are due to such advantages as accuracy, objectivity, speed, and consistency. These distinct advantages have brought attention to state agencies to minimize the shortcomings of existing inspection practices. The conditions of steel bridge painting surfaces can be evaluated accurately and quickly by applying digital image processing. Also, machine vision-dependent inspections can provide more consistent inspection results than human visual inspections. Because conventional inspection heavily relies on individual abilities, inspection results are errorprone and may have wide variations between inspectors. The results can be different depending on personal preferences, work experiences, and the workload of the inspectors. It is pretty important to develop reliable infrastructure condition assessment for better maintenance of the assets. In case of bridge coating, bridge managers can more realistically develop long-term cost-effective maintenance programs if they have dependable coating condition data. Also, they can make decisions as to whether a bridge shall be painted again immediately or later. Efficient coating condition assessment is also essential for the successful implementation of steel bridge coating warranty contracting. Under the warranty contracting, an owner and a contractor inspect steel bridge coating conditions on a regular basis and decide whether additional maintenance actions are needed. However, it is extremely difficult to determine if a bridge contains more defects than an allowable level. If they are in conflict, they will go through a lengthy process to reach an agreement.

Flexible Home Care Automation

Health monitoring and healthcare provisioning at home (i.e., outside the hospital) have received increasingly attention as a possible and partial solution for addressing the problems of an aging population. There are still many technological issues that need to be solved before home healthcare systems can be really cost-effective and efficient. However, in this paper we will highlight another category of issues which we call architectural challenges. Each patient is unique, and each patient has a unique lifestyle, living environment and course of life. Therefore it should be possible to personalize the services provided by home healthcare systems according to the needs and preferences of each individual patient, and it should be possible to make incremental adaptations at later points in time if this is necessary due to, for example, a changing health condition. The architectural challenges and solution directions related to this has been discussed in this paper. 

Healthcare provisioning in the home has been proposed as a cost-effective solution for the demographic changes in especially western countries that put increasing pressure on 

the traditional healthcare systems [1]. In addition, higher living standards enabled people's concern for personal health and quality of life and generated interest for home-based solutions that support well-being, health monitoring and independent living. Arguments for home healthcare include economical benefits (by providing more efficient healthcare solutions and unburdening institutionalized healthcare) and social benefits (by facilitating and prolonging independent living). However, a medical motivation for promoting home healthcare is the ability to monitor patients continuously in their familiar environment, often in a non-intrusive way and without causing stress, as opposed to medical examinations in the hospital, which have to take place on appointment at a specific time and place. We are now witnessing many innovations in the area of home healthcare, thanks to recent technology advances in areas such as sensor technology, body area networks, wireless communication and information processing. This already enabled an array of applications, ranging from health monitoring, event-based alarm, automated analysis to communication of health-related information . 

Cellular Digital Packet Data

Introduction

Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) systems offer what is currently one of the most advanced means of wireless data transmission technology. Generally used as a tool for business, CDPD holds promises for improving law enforcement communications and operations. As technologies improve, CDPD may represent a major step toward making our nation a wireless information society. While CDPD technology is more complex than most of us care to understand, its potential benefits are obvious even to technological novices.

In this so-called age of information, no one need to be reminded of speed but also accuracy in the storage, retrieval and transmission of data. The CDPD network is a little one year old and already is proving to be a hot digital enhancement to the existing phone network. CDPD transmits digital packet data at 19.2 Kbps, using idle times between cellular voice calls on the cellular telephone network.
CDPD technology represent a way for law enforcement agencies to improve how they manage their communications and information systems. For over a decade, agencies around the world have been experimenting with placing Mobile Data Terminals(MDT) in their vehicles to enhance officer safety and efficiency.

Early MDT's transmits their information using radio modems. In this case data could be lost in transmission during bad weather or when mobile units are not properly located in relation to transmission towers. More recently MDT's have transmitted data using analog cellular telephone modems. This shift represented an improvement in mobile data communications, but systems still had flaws which limited their utility.

Since the mid-1990's, computer manufacturers and the telecommunication industry have been experimenting with the use of digital cellular telecommunications as a wireless means to transmit data. The result of their effort is CDPD systems. These systems allow users to transmit data with a higher degree of accuracy, few service interruptions, and strong security. In addition CDPD technology represent a way for law enforcement agencies to improve how they manage their communications and information systems. This results in the capacity for mobile users to enjoy almost instantaneous access to information.

WHAT IS CDPD?

CDPD is a specification for supporting wireless access to the Internet and other public packet-switched networks. Data transmitted on the CDPD systems travel several times faster than data send using analog networks

Cellular telephones and modem providers that offer CDPD support make it possible for mobile users to get access to the Internet at up to 19,2 Kbps. Because CDPD is an open specification that adheres to the layered structure of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model, it has the ability to be extended in the future. CDPD supports both the Internet's Connectionless Network Protocol (CLNP).

CDPD also supports IP multicast (one-to-many) service. With multicast, a company can periodically broadcast company updates to sales and service people on the road or a news subscription service can transmit its issues as they are published. It will also support the next level of IP, IPV6. With CDPD we are assigned our very own address. With this address, we are virtually always connected to our host without having to keep a constant connection.

There are currently two methods for sending data over cellular networks: cellular digital packet data (CDPD) and cellular switched-circuit data (CSCD). Each has distinct advantages depending on the type of application, amount of data to send or receive, and geographic coverage needs.

E-Waste

Abstract of E-Waste



Electronic waste or e-waste is any broken or unwanted electrical or electronic appliance. E-waste includes computers, entertainment electronics, mobile phones and other items that have been discarded by their original users. E-waste is the inevitable by-product of a technological revolution. Driven primarily by faster, smaller and cheaper microchip technology, society is experiencing an evolution in the capability of electronic appliances and personal electronics. For all its benefits, innovation brings with it the byproduct of rapid obsolescence. According to the EPA, nationally, an estimated 5 to 7 million tons of computers, televisions, stereos, cell phones, electronic appliances and toys, and other electronic gadgets become obsolete every year. According to various reports, electronics comprise approximately 1 - 4 percent of the municipal solid waste stream. The electronic waste problem will continue to grow at an accelerated rate. Electronic, or e-waste, refers to electronic products being discarded by consumers.

Introduction of E-Waste


• E-waste is the most rapidly growing waste problem in the world.

• It is a crisis of not quantity alone but also a crisis born from toxics ingredients, posing a threat to the occupational health as well as the environment.

• Rapid technology change, low initial cost, high obsolescence rate have resulted in a fast growing problem around the globe.

• Legal framework, proper collection system missing.

• Imports regularly coming to the recycling markets.

• Inhuman working conditions for recycling.

• Between 1997 and 2007, nearly 500 million personal computers became obsolete-almost two computers for each person.

• 750,000 computers expected to end up in landfills this year alone.

• In 2005, 42 million computers were discarded

• 25 million in storage

• 4 million recycled

• 13 million land filled

• 0.5 million incinerated

IT and telecom are two fastest growing industries in the country.

• India, by 2008, should achieve a PC penetration of 65 per 1,000 from the existing 14 per 1,000 (MAIT)

• At present, India has 15 million computers. The target being 75 million computers by 2010.

• Over 2 million old PCs ready for disposal in India.

• Life of a computer reduced from 7 years to 3-5 years.

• E-Waste: Growth Over 75 million current mobile users, expected to increase to 200 million by 2007 end.

• Memory devices, MP3 players, iPods etc. are the newer additions.

• Preliminary estimates suggest that total WEEE generation in India is approximately 1, 46,000 tonnes per year.

E-waste: It's implications :


• Electronic products often contain hazardous and toxic materials that pose environmental risks if they are land filled or incinerated .

• Televisions, video and computer monitors use cathode ray tubes (CRTs), which have significant amounts of lead.

• Printed circuit boards contain primarily plastic and copper , and most have small amounts of chromium, lead solder, nickel, and zinc.

• In addition, many electronic products have batteries that often contain nickel, cadmium, and other heavy metals . Relays and switches in electronics, especially older ones, may contain mercury.

• Also , capacitors in some types of older and larger equipment that is now entering the waste stream may contain polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) .

You can reduce the environmental impact of your E-Waste by making changes in your buying habits, looking for ways to reuse including donating or recycling. Preventing waste to begin with is the preferred waste management option. Consider, for example, upgrading or repairing instead of buying new equipment to extend the life of your current equipment and perhaps save money. If you must buy new equipment, consider donating your still working, unwanted electronic equipment.

This reuse extends the life of the products and allows non-profits, churches, schools and community organizations to have equipment they otherwise may not be able to afford. In South Carolina, for example, Habitat for Humanity Resale Stores, Goodwill and other similar organizations may accept working computers. When buying new equipment, check with the retailer or manufacturer to see if they have a "take-back program" that allows consumers to return old equipment when buying new equipment. Dell Computers, for example, became the first manufacturer to set up a program to take back any of its products anywhere in the world at no charge to the consumer. And, when buying, consider products with longer warranties as an indication of long-term quality.

Adaptive Missile Guidance Using GPS

Abstract of Adaptive Missile Guidance Using GPS



In the modern day theatre of combat, the need to be able to strike at targets that are on the opposite side of the globe has strongly presented itself. This had led to the development of various types of guided missiles. These guided missiles are self -guiding weapons intended to maximize damage to the target while minimizing collateral damage. The buzzword in modern day combat is fire and forget. GPS guided missiles, using the exceptional navigational and surveying abilities of GPS, after being launched, could deliver a warhead to any part of the globe via the interface pof the onboard computer in the missile with the GPS satellite system. Under this principle many modern day laser weapons were designed.

Laser guided missiles use a laser of a certain frequency bandwidth to acquire their target. GPS/inertial weapons are oblivious to the effects of weather, allowing a target to be engaged at the time of the attacker's choosing. GPS allows accurate targeting of various military weapons including ICBMs, cruise missiles and precision-guided munitions. Artillery projectiles with embedded GPS receivers able to withstand accelerations of 12,000 G have been developed for use in 155 mm. GPS signals can also be affected by multipath issues, where the radio signals reflect off surrounding terrain; buildings, canyon walls, hard ground , etc. These delayed signals can cause inaccuracy.

A variety of techniques, most notably narrow correlator spacing, have been developed to mitigate multipath errors. Multipath effects are much less severe in moving vehicles. When the GPS antenna is moving, the false solutions using reflected signals quickly fail to converge and only the direct signals result in stable solutions. The multiple independently targeted re-entry vehicles (MIRVs) – ICBMs with many sub-missiles – were developed in the late 1960s. The cruise missile has wings like an airplane, making it ca pable of flying at low altitudes. In summary, GPS-INS guided weapons are not affected by harsh weather conditions or restricted by a wire, nor do they leave the gunner vulnerable for attack. GPS guided weapons, with their technological advances over previous, are the superior weapon of choice in modern day warfare.

Introduction of Adaptive Missile Guidance Using GPS


Guided missile systems have evolved at a tremendous rate over the past four decades, and recent breakthroughs in technology ensure that smart warheads will have an increasing role in maintaining our military superiority. On ethical grounds, one prays that each warhead deployed during a sortie will strike only its intended target, and that innocent civilians will not be harmed by a misfire. From a tactical standpoint, our military desires weaponry that is reliable and effective, inflicting maximal damage on valid military targets and ensuring our capacity for light ingfast strikes with pinpoint accuracy. Guided missile systems help fulfill all of these demands.

Many of the early guidance systems used in missiles where based on gyroscope models. Many of these models used magnets in their gyroscope to increase the sensitivity of the navigational array. In modern day warfare, the inertial measurements of the missile are still controlled by a gyroscope in one form or another, but the method by which the missile approaches the target bears a technological edge. On the battlefield of today, guided missiles are guided to or acquire their targets by using:

· Radar signal
· Wires
· Lasers (or)
· Most recently GPS.

The central idea behind the design of DGPS/GPS/inertial guided weapons is that of using a 3- axis gyro/accelerometer package as an inertial reference for the weapon's autopilot, and correcting the accumulated drift error in the inertial package by using GPS PPS/P-code. Such weapons are designated as "accurate" munitions as they will offer CEPs (Circular Error Probable) of the order of the accuracy of GPS P -code signals, typically about 40ft.


Global Positioning System used in ranging navigation guidance :

The next incremental step is then to update the weapon before launch with a DGPS derived position estimate, which will allow it to correct its GPS error as it flies to the target, such weapons are designated "precise" and will offer accuracies greater than laser or TV guided weapons, potentially CEPs of several feet.For an aircraft to support such munitions, it will require a DGPS receiver, a GPS receiver and interfaces on its multiple ejector racks or pylons to download target and launch point coordinates to the weapons. The development of purely GPS/inertial guided munitions will produce substantial changes in how air warfare is conducted.



Unlike a laser-guided weapon, a GPS/inertial weapon does not require t hat the launch aircraft remain in the vicinity of the target to illuminate it for guidance - GPS/inertial weapons are true fire-and-forget weapons, which once released, are wholly autonomous, and all weather capable with no degradation in accuracy. Existing precision weapons require an unobscured line of sight between the weapon and the target for the optical guidance to work

The proliferation of GPS and INS guidance is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, this technology promise a revolution in air warfare not seen since the laser guided bomb, with single bombers being capable of doing the task of multiple aircraft packages. In summary, GPS-INS guided weapons are not affected by harsh weather conditions or restricted by a wire, nor do they leave the gunner vulnerable for attack. GPS guided weapons, with their technological advances over previous, are the superior weapon of choice in modern day warfare.