Howling is very annoying problem to the hearing-aid users and it limits the maximum usable gain of hearing aids. We propose a new feedback cancellation system by inserting a time-varying decorrelation filter in the forward path. We use a second-order all-pass filter with control parameters whose time variation is implemented using a low-frequency modulator. A noticeable reduction of weight-vector misalignment is achievable using our proposed method.

In 2002, Yeh, Shen, and Hwang proposed a one-time password authentication scheme using smart cards. However, Tsuji et al. and Ku et al. showed that it is vulnerable to the stolen verifier attack. Therefore, this paper proposes an improved one-time password authentication scheme, which not only keeps the security of the scheme of Yeh-Shen-Hwang but also can withstand the stolen verifier attack.

This paper introduces the concept of measuring double directional channels in ultra wideband (UWB) systems. Antenna-independent channel data were derived by doing the measurements in a wooden Japanese house. The data were useful for investigating the impact of UWB antennas and analyzing waveform distortion. Up to 100 ray paths were extracted using the SAGE algorithm and they were regarded as being dominant. The paths were then identified in a real environment, in which clusterization analyses were done using the directional information on both sides of the radio link. Propagating power was found to be concentrated around the specular directions of reflection and diffraction. This led to the observation that the spatio-temporal characteristics of extracted paths greatly reflected the structure and size of the environment. The power in the clusters indicated that the estimated 100 paths contained 73% of the total received power, while the rest existed as diffuse scattering, i.e., the accumulation of weaker paths. The practical limits of path extraction with SAGE were also discussed. Finally, we derived the scattering loss and intra-cluster properties for each reflection order, which were crucial for channel reconstrucion based on the deterministic approach.

This paper presents a low-complexity equalization for M-ary biorthogonal keying based direct sequence ultra wideband (MBOK DS-UWB) systems. We focus on a Viterbi equalizer, which is based on maximum likelihood sequence estimation (MLSE). To reduce the computational complexity of MLSE-based equalizer, we use two strategies. One is the use of delayed-decision feedback sequence estimation (DDFSE), which is a hybrid estimation between MLSE and decision feedback estimation (DFE). And the other is the truncation of state transition in MLSE by considering MBOK pulse mapping. The reduced complexity sequence estimation is named as reduced state (RS)-DDFSE. By the use of RS-DDFSE, the complexity of Viterbi equalizer for MBOK DS-UWB is significantly reduced, by comparison with that of MLSE. The performance of RS-DDFSE based equalizer is evaluated on multipath fading channel models provided by IEEE802.15.3a. An analysis on trellis diagram of RS-DDFSE and simulation results show that the impact on error rate performance generated by the complexity lower is slight.

In this paper, we propose an agent architecture for a combination of speculative computation and abduction. Speculative computation is a tentative computation when complete information for performing computation is not obtained. We use a default value to complement such incomplete information. Unlike usual default reasoning, the real value for the information can be obtained during the computation and the computation can be revised on the fly. In the previous work, we applied this technique to handling distributed problem solving under incomplete communication environments in the context of multi-agent systems and proposed correct procedures in abductive logic programming in terms of perfect model semantics. In the previous work, however, we regarded assumptions as defaults and used these assumptions for speculative computation. Thus, we could not perform hypothetical reasoning, that is, the original usage of abduction. In this paper, we extend our framework so that speculative computation and abduction can be both performed. As a result, our procedure becomes an extension of the abductive procedure developed by Kakas and Mancarella augmented by dynamic belief revision mechanism about outside world.

The recent Internet needs a network structure and traffic engineering that can support various applications requiring differentiated traffic processing and a high quality of service. The extension of the Internet from wired to wireless systems that generate location-dependent and burst errors has made the support of good services more difficult with existing packet scheduling algorithms. Accordingly, this paper proposes a wireless differentiated service packet scheduling (WDSPS) algorithm that can provide reliable and fair services in differentiated wireless internet service networks. As such, the proposed scheduling algorithm solves the HOL blocking problem within a class packet queue that occurs in a wireless network, supports differentiated services for each class defined in a differentiated service network, and facilitates gradual and efficient service compensation not only among classes but also among flows within a class, thereby preventing a monopoly by one class or one flow. Simulations confirmed that the proposed WDSPS scheduling algorithm could provide the required QoS differentiation between classes and enhanced the service throughput under various wireless network conditions.

This paper presents an RTOS-based methodology for design and validation of embedded systems. The heart of our methodology is the use of an RTOS simulation model from the very early stage of the system design. A case study with a JPEG decoder application is also presented in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of our methodology.

Flooding is usually utilized to find a multi-hop route toward a node which is not within transmission range. However, existing flooding schemes deteriorate the performance of network because of periodic message exchanges, frequent occurrence of collisions, and redundant packet transmission. To resolve the problem, a lightweight and novel flooding scheme is proposed in this paper. The scheme employs ongoing packets for constructing a cluster architecture as the existing on-demand clustering scheme. Unlike to the existing schemes, it makes use of unicast packet transmission to reduce the number of collisions and to find the flooding candidates easily. As a result, the proposed scheme yields fewer flooding nodes than other schemes. Simulation results prove that it causes fewer packet transmissions and fewer collisions than those of two other schemes.

We propose a new two-stage blind separation and deconvolution strategy for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO)-FIR systems driven by colored sound sources, in which single-input multiple-output (SIMO)-model-based ICA (SIMO-ICA) and blind multichannel inverse filtering are combined. SIMO-ICA can separate the mixed signals, not into monaural source signals but into SIMO-model-based signals from independent sources as they are at the microphones. After the separation by the SIMO-ICA, a blind deconvolution technique for the SIMO model can be applied even when each source signal is temporally correlated and the mixing system has a nonminimum phase property. The simulation results reveal that the proposed algorithm can successfully achieve separation and deconvolution of a convolutive mixture of speech, and outperforms a number of conventional ICA-based BSD methods.

This paper proposes the application of tree-structured clustering to the processing of noisy speech collected under various SNR conditions in the framework of piecewise-linear transformation (PLT)-based HMM adaptation for noisy speech. Three kinds of clustering methods are described: a one-step clustering method that integrates noise and SNR conditions and two two-step clustering methods that construct trees for each SNR condition. According to the clustering results, a noisy speech HMM is made for each node of the tree structure. Based on the likelihood maximization criterion, the HMM that best matches the input speech is selected by tracing the tree from top to bottom, and the selected HMM is further adapted by linear transformation. The proposed methods are evaluated by applying them to a Japanese dialogue recognition system. The results confirm that the proposed methods are effective in recognizing digitally noise-added speech and actual noisy speech issued by a wide range of speakers under various noise conditions. The results also indicate that the one-step clustering method gives better performance than the two-step clustering methods.

An infrared (IR) transcutaneous remote control was designed for use in the totally implantable middle ear system. Considering the IR reflection, absorption and scattering effect of the skin, the required IR radiant intensity is calculated. After we have implemented the designed control, the transcutaneous operation experiment was carried out using a porcine skin.

This letter proposes two very-low-complexity maximum-likelihood (ML) detection algorithms based on QR decomposition for the quasi-orthogonal space-time code (QSTBC) with four transmit antennas [3]-[5], called VLCMLDec1 and VLCMLDec2 decoders. The first decoder, VLCMLDec1, can be used to detect transmitted symbols being extracted from finite-size constellations such as phase-shift keying (PSK) or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). The second decoder, VLCMLDec2, is an enhanced version of the VLCMLDec1, developed mainly for QAM constellations. Simulation results show that both of the proposed decoders enable the QSTBC to achieve ML performance with significant reduction in computational load.

In this paper, a refined analytic model is presented for the IEEE 802.11 distributed coordination function (DCF) in a time-varying channel environment. In the proposed model, the channel is modelled using a finite-state Markov (FSM) chain. The saturation throughput and average packet delay are analyzed from the proposed model. It is shown using OPNETTM and UltraSANTM simulations that the proposed model accurately predicts the performance of the IEEE 802.11 DCF.

The resource allocation problem in multi-agent systems is one of the crucial problems hindering the development of multi-agent technologies. This study demonstrates that "time delay" functions as an effective factor in a resource allocation, contrasting to the conventional real-time oriented multi-agent paradigm by 1) introducing a "fickle" agent, whose own strategy fluctuates randomly, and 2) an agent repository mechanism. This study also demonstrates that in the resource allocation process, time delay induces dramatic changes in performance, the specific phenomenon is the so-called "phase transition phenomenon". This finding means emergence of the phase transition is cited as a major factor governing multi-agent system performance. This knowledge is of essential importance in the regulation in multi-agent performance.

Ad hoc networks are becoming an interesting research area, as they inherently support unique network applications for the wireless communications in a rugged environment, which requires rapid deployment and is difficult to be provided by an infrastructure network. Many issues need to be addressed for the ad hoc networks. In this paper, we propose an efficient distributed coordination function on the media access control protocol to enhance the power conservation of mobile hosts by using a power control algorithm and the network throughput of an ad hoc network by using an algorithm for simultaneous frame transmissions. Extensive simulation is studied to evaluate the improvement of the proposed method. The results of the simulation exhibit significant improvement to the standard access control protocol. With slight improvement of network throughput, up to 85% of the consumed energy was able to be saved in compared to the standard protocol and up to 7 times of the energy efficiency was enhanced with the proposed method.

Data broadcast has become a promising approach to achieving information dissemination in wireless environments due to the limited channel bandwidth and the power constraints of portable devices. In this paper, a restricted dynamic programming approach which generates broadcast programs is proposed to partition data items over multiple channels near optimally. In our approach, a function to predict the optimal average expected delay, in terms of the number of channels, the summation of the access frequencies of data items, and the ratio of the data items is developed by employing curve fitting. Applying this function, we can find a cut point that may be very close to the optimal cut. Thus, the search space in dynamic programming can be restricted to the interval around a determined cut point. Therefore, our approach only takes O(N log K) time, where N is number of data items and K is the number of broadcast channels. Simulation results show that the solution obtained by our proposed algorithm is near-optimal.

Unwanted electromagnetic emission occurs due to the common-mode current on the cables entering a PC's metal enclosure and can be treated as wire antennas passing through the apertures of the enclosure. To reduce the emission, a stack of metal rings is suggested to be placed around the cable and external to the aperture, adopting the concept of a Coaxial Band-Stop Filter, for the first time. The influence of this novel structure on the common-mode current is examined in the FDTD-method frame work.

This paper shows activities of the ultra wideband (UWB) research and development consortium organized by the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT). Fully CMOS monolithic microwave integrate circuits (MMICs) are designed and fabricated both for the multiband OFDM and the impulse radio. UWB transceivers are constructed with the MMICs as their front-end devices and evaluated by some measurements such as time domain waveform, spectrum, error vector magnitude, and so on. To show the application capabilities of the UWB transceivers, two kinds of video transmission system are constructed and demonstrated.

In this paper, we present the method for identifying an Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Networks (ANFN) with Takagi-Sugeno-Kang (TSK) fuzzy type based on fuzzy granulation. We also develop a systematic approach to generating fuzzy if-then rules from a given input-output data. The proposed ANFN is designed by the use of fuzzy granulation realized via context-based fuzzy clustering. This clustering technique builds information granules in the form of fuzzy sets and develops clusters by preserving the homogeneity of the clustered patterns associated with the input and output space. The experimental results reveal that the proposed model yields a better performance in comparison with Linguistic Models (LM) and Radial Basis Function Networks (RBFN) based on context-based fuzzy clustering introduced in the previous literature for Box-Jenkins gas furnace data and automobile MPG prediction.

An ultra-small (0.3-mm0.3-mm0.06-mm) radio frequency identification chip called the µ-chip has been developed for use in a wide range of individual recognition applications. The chip is designed to be thin enough to be applied to paper and paper-like media that are widely used in retailing to create certificates with monetary value, as well as to token-type devices. The µ-chip has been designed and fabricated using 0.18-µm standard CMOS technology. This ultra-small RFID chip also has a low-cost oriented device structure of a double-surface electrode to simplify the process of connecting the antenna and chip. The measured characteristics of the prototype chip are presented, demonstrating the capability of the new chip as an RFID device.