This paper presents a new hybrid speed function needed to perform image segmentation within the level-set framework. The proposed speed function uses both the boundary and region information of objects to achieve robust and accurate segmentation results. This speed function provides a general form that incorporates the robust alignment term as a part of the driving force for the proper edge direction of an active contour, an active region term derived from the region partition scheme, and the smoothing term for regularization. First, we use an external force for active contours as the Gradient Vector Flow field. This is computed as the diffusion of gradient vectors of a gray level edge map derived from an image. Second, we partition the image domain by progressively fitting statistical models to the intensity of each region. Here we adopt two Gaussian distributions to model the intensity distribution of the inside and outside of the evolving curve partitioning the image domain. Third, we use the active contour model that has the computation of geodesics or minimal distance curves, which allows stable boundary detection when the model's gradients suffer from large variations including gaps or noise. Finally, we test the accuracy and robustness of the proposed method for various medical images. Experimental results show that our method can properly segment low contrast, complex images.

This letter deals with a new cell clustering problem subject to signal-to-interference-plus-noise-ratio (SINR) constraints in uplink network MIMO systems, where multiple base stations (BSs) cooperate for joint processing as forming a cluster. We first prove that the SINRs of users in a certain cluster always increase monotonically as the cluster size increases when the receiver filter that maximizes the SINR is used. Using this result, we propose an efficient clustering algorithm to minimize the maximum number of cooperative BSs in a cluster. Simulation results show that the maximum number of cooperative BSs minimized by the proposed method is close to that minimized by the exhaustive search and the proposed scheme outperforms the conventional one in terms of the outage probability.

This paper investigates noise reduction performance and performs convergence analysis of a Variable Error Data Normalized Step-Size Least Mean Square (VEDNSS LMS) algorithm. Adopting VEDNSS LMS provides fast convergence at early stages of adaptation while ensuring small final misadjustment. An analysis of convergence and steady-state performance for zero-mean Gaussian inputs is provided. Simulation results comparing the proposed algorithm to existing algorithms indicate its superior performance under various noise and frequency environments.

In this paper, performances of two different virtual multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmission schemes — spatial multiplexing (SM) and space-time block coding (STBC) — in a correlated wireless sensor network are analyzed. By utilizing a complex Wishart distribution, we investigate the statistical properties of a correlated virtual MIMO channel between the sensors and data collector that is used in the performance analysis of each MIMO transmission mode. Distributed sensors then transmit their data cooperatively to the data collector by choosing a proper transmission mode adaptively based on the channel conditions and spatial correlation among the sensors. Furthermore, after analyzing the energy efficiencies of SM and STBC, we propose a new energy efficient mode switching rule between SM and STBC. Finally, by analytically deriving the required transmit energy of the proposed adaptive transmission scheme, the manner in which the spatial correlation influences the energy consumption is shown. This suggests a cooperating node scheduling protocol that makes energy consumption less sensitive to the variation of the spatial correlation.

In this letter, we present an output feedback controller design technique for uncertain discrete time systems with multiple time-delays. Based on Lyapunov second method, a sufficient condition for the robust stability of the system with a dynamic controller is derived in terms of the linear matrix inequality (LMI) with respect to design variables. The solutions of the LMIs can be easily obtained using existing efficient convex optimization techniques.

With the growth of wireless computing and the popularity of eXtensible Markup Language (XML), wireless XML data management is emerging as an important research area. In this paper, cache invalidation methodology with XML update is addressed in wireless computing environments. A family of XML cache invalidation strategies, called S-XIR, D-XIR and E-XIR, is suggested. Using S-XIR and D-XIR, the unchanged part of XML data, only its structure changes, can be effectively reused in client caching. E-XIR, which uses prefetching, can further improve access time. Simulations are carried out to evaluate the proposed methodology; they show that the proposed strategies improve both tuning time and access time significantly. In particular, the proposed strategies are on average about 4 to 12 times better than the previous approach in terms of tuning time.

With the rapid adoption of mobile devices and location based services (LBS), applications provide with nearby information like recommending sightseeing resort are becoming more and more popular. In the mean time, traffic congestion in cities led to the development of mobile public transportation systems. In such applications, mobile devices need to communicate with servers via wireless communications and servers should process queries from tons of devices. However, because users can not neglect the payment for the wireless communications and server capacities are limited, decreasing the communications made between central servers and devices and reducing the burden on servers are quite demanding. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a cost-effective intelligent public transportation system, ACE-INPUTS, which utilizes a mobile device to retrieve the bus routes to reach a destination from the current location at the lowest wireless communication cost. To accomplish this task, ACE-INPUTS maintains a small amount of information on bus stops and bus routes in a mobile device and runs a heuristic routing algorithm based on such information. Only when a user asks more accurate route information or calls for a "leave later query", ACE-INPUTS entrusts the task to a server into which real-time traffic and bus location information is being collected. By separating the roles into mobile devices and servers, ACE-INPUTS is able to provide bus routes at the lowest wireless communication cost and reduces burden on servers. Experimental results have revealed that ACE-INPUTS is effective and scalable in most experimental settings.

This letter introduces a joint design method for uplink-downlink multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) relay communication systems in which the source nodes transmit information to the destination nodes with the help of a relay. We propose a signal forwarding schceme based on the minimum mean-square error (MMSE) approach in uplink relay systems. Exploiting the duality of relay systems, we also propose a relaying scheme for downlink relay systems. Simulation results confirm that the proposed joint design method improves the performance of the relay systems compared with that of conventional relaying schemes in uplink and downlink MIMO relay systems.

In this paper, we present a dynamic output feedback controller design technique for robust decentralized stabilization of uncertain large-scale systems with time-delay in the subsystem interconnections. Based on Lyapunov second method, a sufficient condition for the stability, is derived in terms of three linear matrix inequalities (LMI). The solutions of the LMIs can be easily obtained using efficient convex optimization techniques. A numerical example is given to illustrate the proposed method.

By converting the expression values of each sample into the corresponding rank values, the rank-based approach enables the direct integration of multiple microarray data produced by different laboratories and/or different techniques. In this study, we verify through statistical and experimental methods that informative genes can be extracted from multiple microarray data integrated by the rank-based approach (briefly, integrated rank-based microarray data). First, after showing that a nonparametric technique can be used effectively as a scoring metric for rank-based microarray data, we prove that the scoring results from integrated rank-based microarray data are statistically significant. Next, through experimental comparisons, we show that the informative genes from integrated rank-based microarray data are statistically more significant than those of single-microarray data. In addition, by comparing the lists of informative genes extracted from experimental data, we show that the rank-based data integration method extracts more significant genes than the z-score-based normalization technique or the rank products technique. Public cancer microarray data were used for our experiments and the marker genes list from the CGAP database was used to compare the extracted genes. The GO database and the GSEA method were also used to analyze the functionalities of the extracted genes.

The TMN that appears to operate the various communication networks generally and efficiently is developed under the different platform environment such as the different hardware and the different operating system. One of the main problems is that all the agents of the TMN system must be duplicated and maintain the software and the data blocks that perform the identical function. Therefore, the standard of the Q3 interface development cannot be defined and the multi-platform cannot be supported in the development of the TMN agent. In order to overcome these problems, the Farming methodology that is based on the Farmer model has been suggested. The main concept of the Farming methodology is that the software and the data components that are duplicated and stored in each distributed object are saved in the Platform Independent Class Repository (PICR) by converting into the format of the independent componentware in the platform, so that the componentwares that are essential for the execution can be loaded and used statically or dynamically from PICR as described in the framework of each distributed object. The distributed TMN agent of the personal communication network is designed and developed by using the Farmer model.

Remote data checking (RDC) is a scheme that allows clients to efficiently check the integrity of data stored at an untrusted server using spot-checking. Efforts have been consistently devoted toward improving the efficiency of such RDC schemes because they involve some overhead. In this letter, it is assumed that a probabilistic attack model is adopted, in which an adversary corrupts exposed blocks in the network with a certain probability. An optimal spot-checking ratio that simultaneously guarantees the robustness of the scheme and minimizes the overhead is obtained.

The roaming services with the predefined security associations among the entities in various networks are especially complex. We propose a novel architecture to support future context-aware interoperator roaming services throughout 4G networks by using Roaming Coordinators. We design a secure context management model for the practical use of Smart Cards in the secure roaming services. Our architecture solves the interoperator roaming management problems while minimizing the processing overhead on the mobile nodes.

Various advantages of cooperative peer-to-peer networks are strongly counterbalanced by the open nature of a distributed, serverless network. In such networks, it is relatively easy for an attacker to launch various attacks such as misrouting, corrupting, or dropping messages as a result of a successful identifier forgery. The impact of an identifier forgery is particularly severe because the whole network can be compromised by attacks such as Sybil or Eclipse. In this paper, we present an identifier authentication mechanism called random visitor, which uses one or more randomly selected peers as delegates of identity proof. Our scheme uses identity-based cryptography and identity ownership proof mechanisms collectively to create multiple, cryptographically protected indirect bindings between two peers, instantly when needed, through the delegates. Because of these bindings, an attacker cannot achieve an identifier forgery related attack against interacting peers without breaking the bindings. Therefore, our mechanism limits the possibility of identifier forgery attacks efficiently by disabling an attacker's ability to break the binding. The design rationale and framework details are presented. A security analysis shows that our scheme is strong enough against identifier related attacks and that the strength increases if there are many peers (more than several thousand) in the network.

Distributed networks employing collaborative transmission (CT) from remote antennas can provide improved system capacity and cell-edge performance, by using appropriate transmission strategies. When compared to conventional non-collaborative transmission (NCT) from one base station (BS), we show that CT from two adjacent BSs can be beneficial in terms of the capacity, even when the transmission rate is normalized by the number of collaborating BSs. We further demonstrate that performing adaptive transmission (AT) between NCT and CT based on the instantaneous channel conditions provide an additional gain in capacity. The exact amount of achievable gain is quantified by the closed-form formula for the capacity distribution, which is derived using the Jacobian transformation. The presented distribution is immediately applicable to 6-sectored distributed cellular network, for which we present numerical verification of the results.

An inductive buffer peaking technique is proposed and demonstrated to extend the bandwidth of a 10-Gbit/s transimpedance amplifier (TIA) for optical communications. A TIA using this peaking technique is fabricated based on InGaP/GaAs HBT technology. The advantage of the proposed technique is verified by comparisons based on simulations and experiments. For these comparisons, three different types of TIAs using a basic gain stage, a shunt peaking gain stage and the proposed gain stage, respectively, are fabricated and measured. The measured performance of the proposed TIA shows that this bandwidth extension technique using inductive buffer peaking can be applied to circuit designs which demand wideband frequency response with low power consumption.

The patching technique has been used for reducing initial waiting time in VOD services. Traditionally the technique has been applied to fixed segment NVOD scheduling. However, variable segment NVOD scheduling is known to have a better server bandwidth and less initial waiting time. In this paper, we propose a new scheduling algorithm for a true VOD service by incorporating the patching technique into variable segment NVOD scheduling. Our algorithm provides jitter-free playback while minimizing the use of the patching bandwidth. We present the proof of the correctness of our algorithm.

The reflection characteristics of large alternating-phase fed single-layer waveguide arrays with center-feeds are investigated to identify the mechanism for bandwidth narrowing effects. Firstly, the overall reflection for the whole array is analyzed by FEM and fine agreement with measurements is demonstrated. It is deviating from the conventional prediction based upon a simple sum of reflections from components in the array, such as the multiple-way power divider, the slot waveguides and the aperture at the antenna input. Careful diagnosis reveals that the mutual coupling between the alternating phase waveguides via external half-space is the key factor in reflection accumulation. Amongst all, the slot with strong excitation whose position depends upon the aperture illumination design produces the dominant contribution in the mutual coupling.

A computationally efficient time delay and Doppler estimation algorithm is proposed for active sonar with a Linear Frequency Modulated (LFM) signal. To reduce the computational burden of the conventional estimation algorithm, an algebraic equation is used which represents the relationship between the time delay and the Doppler in the cross-ambiguity function (CAF) of the LFM signal. The algebraic equation is derived based on the Fast Maximum Likelihood (FML) algorithm. The use of this algebraic relation enables the time delay and Doppler to be estimated with two 1-D searches instead of the conventional 2-D search.

In this letter, a novel maximum Doppler spread estimation algorithm for mobile communication systems is proposed. The proposed method uses an average power spectrum of the received signal. The fast Fourier transform (FFT) of received pilot signal, which is related with the maximum Doppler frequency is used for obtaining an instantaneous power spectrum. The proposed algorithm shows a good performance over wide Doppler frequency in low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR<10 dB). Especially, in the proposed method, any other channel information such as SNR is not required.