Subgraph isomorphism problems have various important applications, while generally being NP-complete. Though Ullmann and Konishi proposed the custom circuit designs to accelerate subgraph isomorphism problem, they require many hardware resources for large problems. This study describes the design of data-dependent circuits for subgraph isomorphism problem with evaluation results on an actual FPGA platform. Data-dependent circuits are logic circuits specialized in specific input data. Such circuits are smaller and faster than the original circuit, although it is not reusable and involves circuit generation for each input. In the present study, the circuits were implemented on Xilinx XC2V3000 FPGA, and they successfully operated at a clock frequency 25 MHz. In the case of graphs with 16 vertices, the average execution time is about 7.0% of the software executed on an up-to-date microprocessor (Athlon XP 2600+ of 2.1 GHz clock). Even if the circuit generation time is included, data-dependent circuits are about 14.4 times faster than the software (for random graphs with 16 vertices). This performance advantage becomes larger for larger graphs. Two algorithms (Ullmann's and Konishi's) were examined, and the data-dependent approach was found to be equally effective for both algorithms. We also examined two types of input graph sets, and found that the data-dependent approach shows advantage in both cases.

We propose two types of autonomic and distributed cooperative behaviors of peers for peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing networks. Cooperative behaviors of peers are mediated by query trails, and allows the exploration of better trade-off points between file search and storage load balancing performance. Query trails represent previous successful search paths and indicate which peers contributed to previous file searches and were at the same time exposed to the storage load. The first type of cooperative behavior is to determine the locations of replicas of files through the medium of query trails. Placement of replicas of files on strong query trails contributes to improvement of search performance, but a heavy load is generated due to writing files in storage to peers on the strong query trails. Therefore, we attempt to achieve storage load balancing between peers, while avoiding significant degradation of the search performance by creating replicas of files in peers adjacent to peers on strong query trails. The second type of cooperative behavior is to determine whether peers provide requested files through the medium of query trails. Provision of files by peers holding requested files on strong query trails contributes to better search performance, but such provision of files generates a heavy load for reading files from storage to peers on the strong query trails. Therefore, we attempt to achieve storage load balancing while making only small sacrifices in search performance by having peers on strong query trails refuse to provide files. Simulation results show that the first type of cooperative behavior provides equal or improved ability to explore trade-off points between storage load balancing and search performance in a static and nearly homogeneous P2P environment, without the need for fine tuning parameter values, compared to replication methods that require fine tuning of their parameters values. In addition, the combination of the second type and the first type of cooperative behavior yields better storage load balancing performance with little degradation of search performance. Moreover, even in a dynamic and heterogeneous P2P environment, the two types of cooperative behaviors yield good ability to explore trade-off points between storage load balancing and search performance.

In a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) network, in order to improve the search performance and to achieve load balancing, replicas of original data are created and distributed over the Internet. However, the replication methods which have been proposed so far focus only on the improvement of search performance. In this paper, we examine the load on the storage systems, which is due to writing and reading, and propose two replication methods for balancing the load on the storages distributed over P2P networks while limiting the degradation of the search performance within an acceptable level. Furthermore, we investigate the performance of our proposed replication methods through computer simulations, and show their effectiveness in balancing the load.

To achieve high end-to-end availability in nationwide optical transport network across thousands of office buildings, it is important to properly make each function redundant, and execute protection switching, repair failed functions and recover redundancy to prevent multiple simultaneous failures. High redundancy leads to high system cost and high power consumption, and tight conditions for recovery leads to high maintenance cost. Therefore it is important to optimize the balance between redundancy and maintenance condition based on appropriate availability indicators. We previously proposed a resource-pool control mechanism for a nationwide optical transport network that can optimize the balance. This paper proposes an end-to-end availability evaluation scheme for a nationwide optical transport network with our mechanism, by which network operators can design the pool-resource amount of each function and the maintenance conditions for each network area properly to satisfy the end-to-end availability requirement. Although the maintenance conditions are usually discussed based on failure-recovery times, they should be discussed based on cost- or load-based volumes for this design. This paper proposes a maintenance-operation-load evaluation scheme, which derives the required number of maintenance staff members from failure-recovery times. We also discuss the design of the pool-resource amount and maintenance conditions for each network area of a nationwide network based on the proposed evaluation schemes.

It becomes so important to observe a wild life for obtaining not only knowledge of its biological behaviors but also interactions with human beings in terms of geoenvironmental investigation and assessment. A sensor network is considered to be a suitable and powerful tool to monitor and observe a wild life in fields. In order to monitor/observe seabirds, a sensor network is deployed in Awashima island, Japan. A sensor platform is useful for early and quick deployment in fields. Atlas, a server-client type sensor platform, is used with several sensors, i.e., infrared sensors, thermometers within a nest and a sound sensor. The experimental results and the first outcome of observation have been reported. Particularly emphasized is that an infrared sensor has detected a leaving and returning of seabirds, and has identified that a leaving and returning is affected by sunrises and sunsets. An infrared sensed data has also shown a chick's practice before flying to the south. These facts and knowledge have not been clearly obtained by observation of human beings, so have demonstrated the usefulness of sensor networking for ecology observations.

Because large earthquakes have repeatedly occurred in subduction zones, it is important to observe seismic activities on the sea floor. An ocean bottom cabled seismometers (OBCS) system is the most suitable tool for this purpose since data can be obtained in real-time. Although the existing OBCS systems are useful for the study of seismic activities, the number of stations is limited due to their cost. Therefore, lower cost in both production and installation is desired. We have developed a new OBCS system utilizing IP technologies. IP technologies yield the new OBCS system that are more compact and less expensive, while a large amount of complex hardware is used in the existing OBCS system. System reliability is ensured by using IP network technologies that provide redundancy. The new OBCS system was first installed to observe the Niigata-Kobe tectonic zone in the Japan Sea on September 2010. Although this first OBCS system has a total length of 25 km, it has been proven that seismic data can be successfully obtained and that the new OBCS system is effective and useful for the dense observation of seismogenic activities on the sea floor around Japan.

Recent improvements in the performance of end-computers and networks have made it feasible to construct a grid system over the Internet. A grid environment consists of many computers, each having a set of components and a distinct performance. These computers are shared among many users and managed in a distributed manner. Thus, it is important to focus on a situation in which the computers are used unevenly due to decentralized management by different task schedulers. In this study, which is a preliminary investigation of the performance of task allocation schemes employed in a decentralized environment, the average execution time of a long-lived task is analytically derived using the M/G/1-PS queue. Furthermore, assuming a more realistic condition, we evaluate the performance of some task allocation schemes adopted in the analysis, and clarify which scheme is applicable to a realistic grid environment.

Subtrellises for low-weight codewords of binary linear block codes have been recently used in a number of trellis-based decoding algorithms to achieve near-optimum or suboptimum error performance with a significant reduction in decoding complexity. An algorithm for purging a full code trellis to obtain a low-weight subtrellis has been proposed by H.T. Moorthy et al. This algorithm is effective for codes of short to medium lengths, however for long codes, it becomes very time consuming. This paper investigates the structure and complexity of low-weight subtrellises for binary linear block codes. A construction method for these subtrellises is presented. The state and branch complexities of low-weight subtrellises for Reed-Muller codes and some extended BCH codes are given. In addition, a recursive algorithm for searching the most likely codeword in low-weight subtrellis-based decoding algorithm is proposed. This recursive algorithm is more efficient than the conventional Viterbi algorithm.

In IoT era, the growth of data variety is driven by cross-domain data fusion. In this paper, we advocate that “local production for local consumption (LPLC) paradigm” can be an innovative approach in cross-domain data fusion, and propose a new framework, geolocation-centric information platform (GCIP) that can produce and deliver diverse spatio-temporal content (STC). In the GCIP, (1) infrastructure-based geographic hierarchy edge network and (2) adhoc-based STC retention system are interplayed to provide both of geolocation-awareness and resiliency. Then, we discussed the concepts and the technical challenges of the GCIP. Finally, we implemented a proof-of-concepts of GCIP and demonstrated its efficacy through practical experiments on campus IPv6 network and simulation experiments.

In order to improve crop production and efficiency of farming operations, an IoT (Internet of Things) system for remote monitoring has been attracting a lot of attention. The existing studies have proposed agricultural sensing systems such that environmental information is collected from many sensor nodes installed in farmland through wireless communications (e.g., Wi-Fi, ZigBee). Especially, Low-Power Wide-Area (LPWA) is a focus as a candidate for wireless communication that enables the support of vast farmland for a long time. However, it is difficult to achieve long distance communication even when using the LPWA because a clear line of sight is difficult to keep due to many obstacles such as crops and agricultural machinery in the farmland. In addition, a sensor node cannot run permanently on batteries because the battery capacity is not infinite. On the other hand, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) that can move freely and stably in the sky has been leveraged for agricultural sensor network systems. By utilizing a UAV as the gateway of the sensor network, the gateway can move to the appropriate location to ensure a clear line of sight from the sensor nodes. In addition, the coverage area of the sensor network can be expanded as the UAV travels over a wide area even when short-range and ultra-low-power wireless communication (e.g., Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)) is adopted. Furthermore, various wireless technologies (e.g., wireless power transfer, wireless positioning) that have the possibility to improve the coverage area and the lifetime of the sensor network have become available. Therefore, in this study, we propose and develop two kinds of new agricultural sensing systems utilizing a UAV and various wireless technologies. The objective of the proposed system is to provide the solution for achieving the wide-area and long-term sensing for the vast farmland. Depending on which problem is in a priority, the proposed system chooses one of two designs. The first design of the system attempts to achieve the wide-area sensing, and so it is based on the LPWA for wireless communication. In the system, to efficiently collect the environmental information, the UAV autonomously travels to search for the locations to maintain the good communication properties of the LPWA to the sensor nodes dispersed over a wide area of farmland. In addition, the second design attempts to achieve the long-term sensing, so it is based on BLE, a typical short-range and ultra-low-power wireless communication technology. In this design, the UAV autonomously flies to the location of sensor nodes and supplies power to them using a wireless power transfer technology for achieving a battery-less sensor node. Through experimental evaluations using a prototype system, it is confirmed that the combination of the UAV and various wireless technologies has the possibility to achieve a wide-area and long-term sensing system for monitoring vast farmland.

This paper describes 40-Gbit/s operation of 1.55-µm electro-absorption (EA) modulators applicable to compact and low-cost transmitters for very-short-reach (VSR) applications. We start by identifying factors that make a multi-quantum-well (MQW) design suitable for high levels of output power and for uncooled operation. From the basic experimental results, we determine that a valence-band discontinuity ΔEv at around 80 meV is optimal in terms of combining high-output-power operation and a good extinction ratio. We then apply the above findings in an InGaAsP-MQW EA modulator that is monolithically integrated with a distributed feedback (DFB) laser, and thus obtain operation with high output power (+1.2 dBm), a high ER (10.5 dB), and a low power penalty (0.4 dB after transmission over 2.6 km of single-mode-fiber). These results confirm the applicability of our EA modulator/DFB laser to VSR applications. After that, we theoretically demonstrate the superiority in terms of ER characteristics of the InGaAlAs-MQW over the conventional InGaAsP-MQW. InGaAlAs-MQW EA modulators are fabricated and demonstrate, for the first time, 40-Gbit/s operation over a wide temperature range (0 to 85).