This book provides a broad perspective of vacuum switchgear drawn from the author's many years of experience in this field. Allan Greenwood describes the development of the technology from the earliest beginnings to the most recent designs now on offer by leading companies around the world.

Development of computer science techniques has significantly enhanced computational electromagnetic methods in recent years. The multi-core CPU computers and multiple CPU work stations are popular today for scientific research and engineering computing. How to achieve the best performance on the existing hardware platforms, however, is a major challenge. In addition to the multi-core computers and multiple CPU workstations, distributed computing has become a primary trend due to the low cost of the hardware and the high performance of network systems. In this book we introduce a general hardware acceleration technique that can significantly speed up FDTD simulations and their applications to engineering problems without requiring any additional hardware devices.

Achieving value-based healthcare, increasing quality, reducing cost, and spreading access, has proven to be extremely challenging, in part due to research that is siloed and largely focused on singular risk factors, ineffective care coordination resulting from service fragmentation, and costly unintended consequences of reform that have emerged due to the complexity of healthcare systems. Understanding the behaviour of the overall system is becoming a major concern among healthcare managers and decision-makers intent on increasing value for their systems.

A microgrid is a small network of electricity users with a local source of supply that is usually attached to a larger grid but can function independently. The interconnection of small scale generating units, such as PV and wind turbines, and energy storage systems, such as batteries, to a low voltage distribution grid involves three major challenges: variability, scalability, and stability. It must keep delivering reliable and stable power also when changing, or repairing, any component, or under varying wind and solar conditions. It also must be able to accept additional units, i.e. be scalable. This reference discusses these three challenges facing engineers and researchers in the field of power systems, covering topics such as demand side energy management, transactive energy, optimizing and sizing of microgrid components. Case studies and results provide illustrative examples in each chapter.

This book is intended to explain the technical principles involved in the many AC variable speed drive systems available today. It deals with all the DC link inverter and direct AC to AC converter systems that are in commercial use. The principles of AC motors are considered specifically from the variable frequency point of view, and this chapter concentrates on the effects of harmonics. The different types of power semiconductor switches are considered separately from the drive systems in which they are used.

Variable structure systems, or sliding mode control systems, are non-linear automatic control systems whose structures are deliberately allowed to change, so that robust performance is obtained. It allows the design of high performance control systems that can be reliably and easily implemented at low cost. Although the basic theory is mature, the theory and the associated control system design methodologies are less well known to many control engineers. This new text seeks to redress the gap, and is split into three parts: the basics of sliding mode control, new trends in sliding mode control and applications of sliding mode control.

Plug-in electric and hybrid vehicles (PEVs) have the potential to provide substantial storage to a city's grid, a key component in mitigating intermittency issues of power sources. But the batteries of these vehicles also need to be charged at times when their users need them. Thus, V2G (vehicle-to-grid) is becoming an important issue in the future grid. An integrated treatment of this system, from power generation, monitoring, storage in stationary and PEV batteries to control is a complex task.

The automation of road vehicles is still developing, moving towards improved technology, safety, energy and fuel efficiency, comfort, economic growth, and real-world applications. Vehicle connectivity and information exchange over the road is an essential requirement for the future of automated driving. This book is intended to help bridge the gap between theory and applications of autonomous vehicles.

One of the most significant developments in telecommunications in the last decade, the very small aperture terminal (VSAT), as part of a satellite communications network, is the culmination of technology that allows earth terminals to be located on users' premises to provide data, voice and even video services. Networks based on VSATs can be established rapidly and reconfigured to respond to changing communications needs in a flexible and cost-effective manner.

This book describes VHF and UHF antennas for the range 30-3000 MHz developed over the last 50 years. Many designs that have not previously been described in detail are covered. The author's long, practical experience is shown in numerous examples of new uses for old designs.

Digital video compression has revolutionised the broadcast industry. Its implementation has been the vital key to the expansion of video via satellite, cable, internet and terrestrial TV. However, new technologies not only enable new applications, they also create new challenges such as how to measure video quality, and how to maintain video quality in concatenated compression systems.

Virtual reality (VR) refers to technologies that use headsets to generate realistic images, sounds and other sensations that replicate a real-world environment or create an imaginary setting. VR also simulates a user's physical presence in this environment. In virtual reality, six degrees of freedom allows users to not only look around, but also to move around the virtual world and look from above, below or behind objects. To have a true VR experience, the hardware must provide six degrees of freedom, using both orientation tracking (rotational) and positional tracking (translation).

VLSI, or Very-Large-Scale-Integration, is the practice of combining billions of transistors to create an integrated circuit. At present, VLSI circuits are realised using CMOS technology. However, the demand for ever smaller, more efficient circuits is now pushing the limits of CMOS. Post-CMOS refers to the possible future digital logic technologies beyond the CMOS scaling limits. This book addresses the current state of the art in VLSI technologies and presents potential options for post-CMOS approaches.

VLSI, or Very-Large-Scale-Integration, is the practice of combining billions of transistors to create an integrated circuit. At present, VLSI circuits are realised using CMOS technology. However, the demand for ever smaller, more efficient circuits is now pushing the limits of CMOS. Post-CMOS refers to the possible future digital logic technologies beyond the CMOS scaling limits. This 2-volume set addresses the current state of the art in VLSI technologies and presents potential options for post-CMOS processes.

VLSI, or Very-Large-Scale-Integration, is the practice of combining billions of transistors to create an integrated circuit. At present, VLSI circuits are realised using CMOS technology. However, the demand for ever smaller, more efficient circuits is now pushing the limits of CMOS. Post-CMOS refers to the possible future digital logic technologies beyond the CMOS scaling limits. This 2-volume set addresses the current state of the art in VLSI technologies and presents potential options for post-CMOS processes.

This book addresses future video coding from the perspective of hardware implementation and architecture design, with particular focus on approximate computing and the energy-quality scalability paradigm. Challenges in deploying VLSI architectures for video coding are identified and potential solutions postulated with reference to recent research in the field. The book offers systematic coverage of the designs, techniques and paradigms that will most likely be exploited in the design of VLSI architectures for future video coding systems.

The importance of testing integrated circuits (ICs) has escalated with the increasing complexity of circuits fabricated on a single IC chip. No longer is it possible to design a new IC and then think about testing: such considerations must be part of the initial design activity, and testing strategies should be part of every circuit and system designer's education. This book is a comprehensive introduction and reference for all aspects of IC testing. It includes all of the basic concepts and theories necessary for advanced students, from practical test strategies and industrial practice, to the economic and managerial aspects of testing. In addition to detailed coverage of digital network testing, VLSI testing also considers in depth the growing area of testing analogue and mixed analogue/digital ICs, used particularly in signal processing.

Voice biometrics are being implemented globally in large scale applications such as remote banking, government e-services, transportation and building security access, autonomous vehicles, and healthcare. They have been integrated in numerous apps, often coupled with face biometrics and artificial intelligence methods. Voice biometrics products and solutions must meet three key requirements for the success in their deployment: they must be highly trustable regarding privacy protection; easy to use and always be available.

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has recently evolved from a simple capability for transporting voice communications into a much more powerful technology capable of changing the way voice applications are constructed, delivered, marketed and sold. Whilst VoIP has clearly provided a focus for much debate within the telecommunications industry, there has been a clear gulf between hype and reality. However the questions now being asked have migrated from 'Will it work?' to 'What will the industry look like when it is delivered at scale?'

Problems of voltage quality and their solutions are becoming increasingly important with the growth in power electronics and the high sensitivity of electronic equipment. Translated and updated from the German original published by VDE-Verlag, this book successfully details the theoretical and practical background to low voltage conducted disturbances including harmonics, voltage fluctuation/flicker and asymmetrical voltages.