Robotic Wireless Sensor Networks

In this chapter, we present a literature survey of an emerging, cutting-edge, and multi-disciplinary field of research at the intersection of Robotics and Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) which we refer to as Robotic Wireless Sensor Networks (RWSN). We define a RWSN as an autonomous networked multi-robot system that aims to achieve certain sensing goals while meeting and maintaining certain communication performance requirements, through cooperative control, learning and adaptation. While both of the component areas, i.e., Robotics and WSN, are very well-known and well-explored, there exist a whole set of new opportunities and research directions at the intersection of these two fields which are relatively or even completely unexplored. One such example would be the use of a set of robotic routers to set up a temporary communication path between a sender and a receiver that uses the controlled mobility to the advantage of packet routing. We find that there exist only a limited number of articles to be directly categorized as RWSN related works whereas there exist a range of articles in the robotics and the WSN literature that are also relevant to this new field of research. To connect the dots, we first identify the core problems and research trends related to RWSN such as connectivity, localization, routing, and robust flow of information. Next, we classify the existing research on RWSN as well as the relevant state-of-the-arts from robotics and WSN community according to the problems and trends identified in the first step. Lastly, we analyze what is missing in the existing literature, and identify topics that require more research attention in the future

NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Quasi-Optical Control of Intense Microwave Transmission Nizhny

This volume assembles the texts of presentations given at the NATO-sponsored Advanced Research Workshop on Quasi-Optical Transmission of High-Power Microwaves, held in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia in February 2004. The presentations bridge a wide range of technical areas, but share common tools of analysis and design. Applications of quasi-optics extend to the use of high-power microwaves—including millimeter-waves— for radar and communications (especially deep space millimeter-wave systems, space debris detection radar, and radar for the detection of small targets moving over heavy clutter); particle accelerators (especially for a future high-acceleration-gradient electron-positron collider); plasma research (especially for controlled nuclear fusion and waste decontamination); and material processing (in particular, ceramic sintering with millimeter-waves, and the coating of metal surfaces with protective dielectric films.). Scientists and engineers working in any of these areas should benefit significantly from exposure to this broad range of timely expositions authored by many of the world’s foremost experts in these fields. The editors, themselves being original, principal proponents of many of the concepts discussed here, have integrated important contributions from many fields into a cohesive entity

Analysis of Outcomes in Ischemic vs Nonischemic Cardiomyopathy in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation A Report From the GARFIELD-AF Registry

IMPORTANCE Congestive heart failure (CHF) is commonly associated with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF), and their combination may affect treatment strategies and outcomes