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Search results for: IMPROVEMENT POTENTIAL
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Upper Limb Bionic Orthoses: General Overview and Forecasting Changes
PublicationUsing robotics in modern medicine is slowly becoming a common practice. However, there are still important life science fields which are currently devoid of such advanced technology. A noteworthy example of a life sciences field which would benefit from process automation and advanced robotic technology is rehabilitation of the upper limb with the use of an orthosis. Here, we present the state-of-the-art and prospects for development...
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Activity coordination of capacitor banks and power transformer controllers in order to reduce power losses in the MV grid
PublicationOne of the main issues related to the optimization of the MV (middle voltage) network is to reduce losses of active and reactive power. Lower losses of active and reactive power give not only economic advantage, but also improvement of energy quality. The object of regulation that can be used for these purposes are transformer with On-Load Tap Changer and capacitor's banks. This paper presents results of analysis of the possibility...
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Superresolution algorithm to video surveillance system
PublicationAn application of a multiframe SR (superresolution) algorithm applied to video monitoring is described. The video signal generated by various types of video cameras with different parameters and signal distortions which may be very problematic for superresolution algorithms. The paper focuses on disadvantages in video signal which occur in video surveillance systems. Especially motion estimation and its influence on superresolution...
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Swarm Algorithms in Modern Engineering Optimization Problems
PublicationComplexity of today engineering problems is constantly increasing. Scientists no longer are facing issues, for which simple, mathematical programming methods are sufficient. Issues like autonomic vehicle navigation or classification are considered to be challenging, and although there exist valid means to solve them, in some cases there still is some place for improvement. With emergence of a new type of optimization techniques...
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Mobile indicators in GIS and GPS positioning accuracy in cities
PublicationThe publication describes the possible use of tele-geoprocessing as a synergy of modern IT solutions, telecommunications and GIS algorithms. The paper presents a possibility of urban traffic monitoring with the use of mobile GIS indicators of dedicated monitoring system designed for taxi corporation. The system is based on a stationary and mobile software package. The optimal and minimal assumptions for the monitoring of urban...
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Quality assurance of alcoholic beverages by electronic nose
PublicationQuality is very important attribute of every alcoholic beverage. It is very significant to satisfy consumers and assure food quality. Flavour, colour and taste constitute a great matter not only for connoisseurs. Due to these features, the whole manufacturing process need to be monitored. This paper presents a high-class devices useful in assessing of beverage quality. Electronic noses offer quick real-time analysis, which is very...
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Viewpoint independent shape-based object classification for video surveillance
PublicationA method for shape based object classification is presented.Unlike object dimension based methods it does not require any system calibration techniques. A number of 3D object models are utilized as a source of training dataset for a specified camera orientation. Usage of the 3D models allows to perform the dataset creation process semiautomatically. The background subtraction method is used for the purpose of detecting moving objects...
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Variable-structure algorithm for identification of quasi-periodically varying systems
PublicationThe paper presents a variable-structure version of a generalized notchfiltering (GANF) algorithm. Generalized notch filters are used for identification of quasi-periodically varying dynamic systems and can be considered an extension, to the system case, of classical adaptive notch filters. The proposed algorithm is a cascade of two GANF filters: a multiple-frequency "precise" filter bank, used for precise system tracking, and a...
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New approach for the synthesis of Ag3PO4-graphene photocatalysts
PublicationA facile and effective plasma sputtering method for the preparation of a visible light active photocatalyst - rhombic dodecahedral silver phosphate Ag3PO4 covered with nanographene (Ag3PO4-GR) with improved stability has been developed. Proposed method allows for the usage of readily available materials for nanographene sputtering and for easy scaling-up. The stability improvement, confirmed by visible light-induced phenol degradation...
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Uniform sampling in constrained domains for low-cost surrogate modeling of antenna input characteristics
PublicationIn this letter, a design of experiments technique that permits uniform sampling in constrained domains is proposed. The discussed method is applied to generate training data for construction of fast replacement models (surrogates) of antenna input characteristics. The modeling process is design-oriented with the surrogate domain spanned by a set of reference designs optimized with respect to the performance figures and/or operating...
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Geotechnical characterization of soft soil deposits in Northern Poland
PublicationThis paper presents a geotechnical characterization of deltaic soft soil deposits in the Vistula Marshlands, northern Poland. It shows the limited applicability of organic soil classifications based on Cone Penetration Tests (CPTU) and Dilatometer Tests (DMT). None of the in-situ-based classifications correctly identifies peat. Analysis of the behaviour of contractive/dilative soil layers according to Robertson's updated classification...
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Numerical Analysis of TB32 Crash Tests for 4-cable Guardrail Barrier System Installed on the Horizontal Convex Curves of Road
PublicationHorizontal curves are one of the elements of road infrastructure where statistically a relatively high number of accidents have been reported. In the last ten years in Poland approx. 10% of all road accidents happened on horizontal curves of roads and was responsible for approx. 14% of all fatalities on Polish roads. Thus, this issue is important and requires extensive research and proper road safety treatments. One possible measure...
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A Circular Waveguide Dual-Mode Filter With Improved Out-of-Band Performance for Satellite Communication Systems
PublicationThis letter presents a novel design for a 3-D-printed circular waveguide dual-mode (CWDM) filter with a modified cavity shape. The modification leads to a wide spurious-free stopband, which is highly desirable for channel separation in waveguide contiguous output multiplexers (OMUXs) in satellite communication systems. The new resonant cavity design is a result of applying shape deformation to a basic circular cavity in order to...
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Nanocrystalline cathode functional layer for SOFC
PublicationRecently, it was shown that thin functional layers introduced between an electrolyte and cathode might improve cathode performance. However, the mechanism of this improvement still needs analysis. In this paper, a thin (∼140 nm), spin-coated perovskite layer (La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ) was placed between a cathode (La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ) and an electrolyte (Ce0.8Gd0.2O2-δ) and the effects of this investigated. The microstructure...
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Timber-frame house resistant to dynamic loads - analysis of wall panel filled with polyurethane foam
PublicationThe present study shows the experimentally and numerically determined response of a single timber-frame house wall panel filled with polyurethane (PU) foam under dynamic loads. The harmonic tests were conducted for the following frequencies: 0.5 Hz, 1.0 Hz, 2.0 Hz and 5.0 Hz for various values of the specified displacement. Based on the results of the comparison between the experimental tests and the numerical analyses, the numerical...
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Playing the Sprint Retrospective: A Replication Study
PublicationThe Sprint Retrospective is a vehicle for continuous process improvement. Even though it is a well established agile practice, running effective retrospective meetings is challenging. There have been a lot of identified problems that commonly occur during these meetings. To address them, Przybyłek & Kotecka [20] successfully revitalized retrospective meetings by adopting collaborative games, which represent a powerful tool in improving...
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Z type Observer Backstepping For Induction Machines
PublicationThis paper contains a relatively new synthesis method for non-linear objects, named backstepping. This method can be used to obtain the observer structure. The paper presents the structure of the speed observer which is a new proposition of observer backstepping with additional state variables marked Z. The rotor speed can be estimated in three different ways. The first is based on the adaptive approach, the second on the nonadaptive...
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An Overview of Image Analysis Techniques in Endoscopic Bleeding Detection
PublicationAuthors review the existing bleeding detection methods focusing their attention on the image processing techniques utilised in the algorithms. In the article, 18 methods were analysed and their functional components were identified. The authors proposed six different groups, to which algorithms’ components were assigned: colour techniques, reflecting features of pixels as individual values, texture techniques, considering spatial...
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Efficiency Evaluation of High Performance Computing Systems Using Data Envelopment Analysis
PublicationThe paper presents an evaluation method of high performance computing (HPC) systems using multicriteria efficiency analysis. The Data Envelopment Analysis approach was applied and adapted to the specifics of HPC, which enabled us to compare relative efficiency of systems considering simultaneously multiple parameters. The analysis is based on the TOP500 list of world largest supercomputers and their parameters such as: the number...
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Accurate design of pseudoelliptic inline SIW filters with frequency-dependent couplings
PublicationThis paper presents an accurate synthesis method for inline SIW (Substrate Integrated Waveguide) generalized Chebyshev bandpass filters with frequency-dependent couplings. The technique is based on the synthesis of a coupling matrix that takes into account the impedance of the frequency-dependent stub. Thus, a loading effect compensation in adjacent resonators (via resonant frequency adjustment) and coupling elements (via coupling-value...
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On the acoustic backscattering by Baltic herring and sprat
PublicationAccurate abundance estimate of Baltic clupeids, herring and sprat, is required for theirsustainable exploitation. The understanding the sound backscattering of individual fish isimportant for employing the acoustical techniques, which are widely used in the estimation.The previous studies demonstrated that the improvement of the understanding is critical forthe Baltic herring and sprat. It was the main...
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Modern trends in solid phase extraction: New sorbent media
PublicationBased on the recently published literature, this review provides an update of the most important features and application of formats and devices employed in solid phase extraction (SPE). Special attention was paid on new trapping media proposed in SPE prior the chromatography analysis, based on the use of nanostructured materials, including carbon nanomaterials, electrospun nanofibers, dendrimes and magnetic nanoparticles, molecular...
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Laboratory assessment of permeability of sand and biopolymer mixtures
PublicationLaboratory assessment of permeability of sand and biopolymer mixtures. This research presents a method of creating seepage barriers in a sandy soil using biopolymer additives (biosubstance), which consist of polysaccharides and water. Polysaccharides strongly interact with water to produce a viscous suspension. The paper aims to investigate the infl uence of a biosubstance employed in a highly permeable sandy soil. Amount of the...
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Studies on the influence of β-cyclodextrin derivatives on the physical stability of famotidine
PublicationThe usage of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, near infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and microscopy is presented in this work focused on the exploration of the effect of CD on the physical stability of famotidine (FAM). The most significant information was achieved by analysis of the second derivatives ofnear infrared (NIR) spectra recorded. Changes in the shape of spectra derivatives allow...
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Characterization of small and medium enterprises (SMES) of Pomeranian Region in six sigma methodology application
PublicationThe paper presents the rarely researched and important issue for SMEs competitiveness - knowledge and practical application of Six Sigma methodology. The results of research conducted by Authors allow to answer the question - to what degree SMEs of Pomeranian region are aware of importance and prepared for systemic control and improvement of their processes?W opracowaniu poruszono istotne, z punktu widzenia podnoszenia konkurencyjności...
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An approach to improving agility and discipline of software development with Scrum and CMMI
PublicationThe paper reports on two case studies of combining the Scrum methodology with the CMMI maturity model to improve together agility and discipline of software development. First, we propose the CMMI-Scrum reference model, which maps Scrum practices onto 123 practices of CMMI Staged level 2 and 3. Then, for 60% of CMMI practices, which are insufficiently covered by Scrum we extend Scrum with new practices that improve discipline while...
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Exploring the Prevalence of Anti-patterns in the Application of Scrum in Software Development Organizations
PublicationThe paper presents a survey-based study that aimed to determine the prevalence of anti-patterns in the Scrum software development methodology. A total of 35 anti-patterns were selected from the literature review, and 42 respondents indicated whether they had encountered each anti-pattern in their organizations. The study found that``Unfinished Tasks'' was the most prevalent anti-pattern, highlighting the importance of proper planning...
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Energy efficient beam control for 5G antennas
PublicationThe rapid development of 5G and beyond systems demands improvement in communication speed, latency and safety to maintain the required quality of service. This paper presents an overview of different concepts of energy-efficient antenna systems, which offer beam-shaping and beam-steering functionalities, that enhance connectivity performance and can be used in 5G applications. Different designs for 5.9 GHz, 39 GHz and 60 GHz frequency...
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Integrating modelling, simulation and data management tools to create a planning support system for the improvement of air quality by urban planning solutions
PublicationThe urbanization pressure requires urban planners, designers, and policy makers to be more responsive to the challenges related to improving the quality of the urban environment and the living conditions of the inhabitants. One of the many environmental issues that need to be taken into account is urban air pollution. As the process of urban ventilation and air pollution dis-persion is significantly affected by the urban layout,...
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Sustainable Knowledge Sharing Model for IT Agile Projects
PublicationIn order to overcome work environment challenges and remain competitive in the market, organisations must adapt. An organisation's competitiveness can be improved through knowledge sharing; however, improvement without responsibility can have a negative impact on the sociotechnical environment which people cannot fully comprehend. According to researchers, business involvement in sustainable development goals remains minimal [51]....
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Side Effects of National Immunization Program: E-Governance Support Toward Elders' Digital Inclusion
PublicationIn response to the coronavirus pandemic, the European Union (EU) governments develop policies to regulate exclusive health protection actions that consider societal needs with the emphasis on elders. Given that the EU vaccination strategy uses a centralized ICT-based approach, there is little guidance on how seniors are included in national immunization programs (NIP). In this paper, we addressed a knowledge gap of the side effects...
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Reviewing the recent developments of using graphene-based nanosized materials in membrane separations
PublicationAccording to the potentialities of graphene-based materials and their unique physicochemical properties. Such 2D nanomaterials are likely to be the most implemented within the improvement of the selective separations of polymer membranes, together with enhanced physicochemical properties (such as hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity, transport of molecules, mechanical and thermal features, among others). Hence, this review compiles and...
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Approximate Cramér–Rao bound on Doppler error in correlation-processing relatively narrowband noise radar
PublicationThe paper studies limitations on accuracy of Doppler estimation in continuous-wave noise radar with correlation processing. Second order properties of output of the correlation receiver are evaluated and an approximate Cram´er-Rao bound on errors of Doppler measurement is derived. The accuracy of Doppler measurements is found to be affected by the following factors: power spectral density of noise signal, frequency response of the...
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Text Categorization Improvement via User Interaction
PublicationIn this paper, we propose an approach to improvement of text categorization using interaction with the user. The quality of categorization has been defined in terms of a distribution of objects related to the classes and projected on the self-organizing maps. For the experiments, we use the articles and categories from the subset of Simple Wikipedia. We test three different approaches for text representation. As a baseline we use...
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Centrifugal magnetic fluid seals
PublicationSeals perform an important and at times overlooked function in a lubricant system. They prevent or minimize the movement of the lubricant between two surfaces and also minimize the level of contamination in the system. Seals are divided into static and dynamic types. Static seals operate in systems where the mating surfaces do not move relative to each other. In contrast, dynamic seals operate under conditions where the mating surfaces...
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Design of a test bench for determining the general characteristics of an internal combustion engine using a hydraulic power take-off system
PublicationThe paper presents a design of an engine test bench, which is used to determine the general characteristics of a truck engine using a power take-off (PTO). PTO drives a hydraulic system that generates a load on the engine at various points in its operation in the power range specified by the hydraulic system. The design allows for stationary and mobile tests with the test bench mounted on the truck, without any modification of...
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Soft – Partial Frequency Reuse Method for LTE-A
PublicationIn the paper a novel SPFR frequency reuse method is proposed which can be used for improvement of physical resources utilization efficiency in LTE-A. The proposed method combines both SFR and PFR giving the possibility of more flexible use of frequency band in different regions of a cell. First, a short study on the problem of frequency reuse in cells is discussed including bibliography overview....
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Green analytical chemistry: Social dimension and teaching
PublicationGreen Analytical Chemistry (GAC) is the idea which every analytical chemist should be familiar of. Due to continuous improvement in the subject both from the aspects of theory and experimentation, the dynamic way analytical chemistry studies are evolving in the frame of chemistry degrees should not be surprising. Recently, many efforts have been made in order to include Green Chemistry principles to Education, also in the field...
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Residual MobileNets
PublicationAs modern convolutional neural networks become increasingly deeper, they also become slower and require high computational resources beyond the capabilities of many mobile and embedded platforms. To address this challenge, much of the recent research has focused on reducing the model size and computational complexity. In this paper, we propose a novel residual depth-separable convolution block, which is an improvement of the basic...
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Safety Assessment of Tram Stops
PublicationThe safety of public transport stops is the subject of numerous studies in large agglomerations around the world. This is due to the fact that it is a passenger exchange zone where collisions and accidents involving people getting on or off public transport vehicles most often occur. For this reason, the purpose of the article is to present the results of the safety assessment of the stop zones for two selected tram lines in Wroclaw....
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Comparison of the Effectiveness of Health Systems in The European Countries-Two-Stage DEA Model
PublicationThis article compares the efficiency of health systems in selected European countries using two-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA), based on data from the EUROSTAT database. In the first step, DEA efficiency scores were calculated for health care systems and, subsequently, the external variables describing lifestyle were used to calculate the truncated regression. Health care resources (physicians, nurses, hospital beds, financial...
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Stirling engines - the state of technology development and computational models
PublicationStirling engines represent a technologically important solution in combined heat and power systems. Their use enables the achievement of over 90 percent efficiency in the management of the primary energy source with a very high durability of the device, mainly due to the lack of contact of the working gas with external factors and a very small number of mechanical components. The use of a Stirling engine may be equally important...
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Recent advances in compatibilization strategies of wood-polymer composites by isocyanates
PublicationWood-polymer composites technologies are gaining more and more attention in the scientific community, positively affecting the increase in their industrial applications, for example, automotive, building, 3D printing, etc. Many research works are focused on the improvement in matrix–lignocellulosic filler interactions to produce highly filled composites with satisfying performance properties. In this field of research, using isocyanates...
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Methodology for hospital design in architectural education
PublicationThe architecture of a hospital should be a response to strong user requirements. Recommendations on how to shape the environment of such facilities are highly complex, integrating guidelines from many fields of science. If contradictions between them exist, the designer is required to set priorities for spatial activities. This issue is particularly important during architectural education. The learning process should include projects...
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Analysis of IPv6 handovers in IEEE 802.16 environment
PublicationThe second generation of WiMAX solutions, based on IEEE 802.16-2005 standard, offers limited mobility support. Unfortunately, after quickly changing the point of attachment on the WiMAX data link layer (DLL), very slow and inefficient IPv6 reconfiguration takes place. Delays introduced by automatic configuration (DHCPv6 and IPv6 protocols) and Mobile IPv6 can easily diminish or even render useless all benefits gained using the...
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Energy efficiency of electric multiple units in suburban operation
PublicationThis thesis presents approach to analysis of energy efficiency of a suburban rail network, using novel models developed on the Matlab/Simulink basis. Necessary features and requirements for such models were determined thru in-depth review of the source literature in all applicable fields: electrified transportation systems, electric multiple units construction, vehicle drivetrains and finally, existing simulation methods. Existing...
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Effect of plasma sprayed and laser re-melted Al2O3 coatings on hardness and wear properties of stainless steel
PublicationCommercially available austenic stainless steel substrate was coated with commercially available, raw Al2O3 powder applied by means of plasma spraying method and then re-melted with CO2 laser beam of various parameters. Tribological and mechanical properties of the 120 J/mm and 160 J/mm laser re-melted coatings were compared with the tribological and mechanical properties of the “as-sprayed” coating. The influence of the laser...
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Features extraction from the electrocatalytic gas sensor responses
PublicationOne of the types of gas sensors used for detection and identification of toxic-air pollutant is an electrocatalytic gas sensor. The electrocatalytic sensors are working in cyclic voltammetry mode, enable detection of various gases. Their response are in the form of I-V curves which contain information about the type and the concentration of measured volatile compound. However,...
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STUDY ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE TURBINE CONDENSER AIR EXTRACTION SYSTEM USING HYDRO EJECTORS
PublicationThe aim of the paper is to investigate the effectiveness of the 18K380 steam turbine condenser air extraction system using hydro ejectors. Motivation for the analysis is a need of improvement of the energy conversion ratio of the power plant. To achieve this goal it is necessary to establish efficiency of each subsystem of the energy cycle. The air extraction system is not a highly power consuming system but it has great impact...
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Linux scheduler improvement for time demanding network applications, running on Communication Platform Systems
PublicationCommunication Platform Systems as ex. ATCA standard blades located in standardized chassis provides high level communication services between system peripherals. Each ATCA blade brings dedicated functionality to the system but can as well exist as separated host responsible for servicing set of task. According to platform philosophy these parts of system can be quite independent against another solutions provided by competitors....