In this paper, we discuss the parallel degree of well-structured workflow nets, WF-nets, for short. First, we give the definition of parallel degree, PARAdeg, for WF-nets. Second, we show it is intractable to compute the value of PARAdeg for acyclic well-structured WF-nets. Next we construct two heuristic algorithms to compute the value. The first algorithm is focused on nest structure and the second one is focused on the longest path. Finally, we perform an experiment to compare the two algorithms and the result is that the accuracy of the first algorithm based on nest structure was higher than that of the second one based on the longest path for most well-structured WF-nets and the accuracy of the second one is better than that of first one only when the well-structured workflow nets are mainly composed by the parallel structures.

We have investigated the bottleneck in web-based MORPG system and proposed a load-distribution method using multiple web servers. This technique uses a dynamic data allocation method, called the moving home. This paper describes the evaluation of our method using 4, 8, 16 web servers. We evaluated it on both the single-server system and multi-server system. And we confirm that the effect of the moving home through the comparison between the multi-server system without the moving home and that with the moving home. Our experimental result shows that the upper bound of the number of avatars in the eight-server system with the moving home becomes 380 by contrast that in the single-server system is 200.

This paper presents a novel regularity evaluation of placement structure and techniques for handling conditional design rules along with dynamic diffusion sharing and well island generation, which are developed based on Sequence-Pair. The regular structures such as topological rows, arrays and repetitive structures are characterized by the way of forming sub-sequences of a sequence-pair. A placement objective is formulated balancing the regularity and the area efficiency. Furthermore, diffusion sharing and well island can be also identified looking into forming of a sequence-pair. In experiments, we applied our regularity-oriented placement mixed with the constraint-driven technique to real analog designs, and attained the results comparable to manual designs even when imposing symmetry constraints. Besides, the results also revealed the regularity serves to increase row-structures applicable to the diffusion sharing for area saving and wire-length reduction.

Two-step physical register deallocation (TSD) is an architectural scheme that enhances memory-level parallelism (MLP) by pre-executing instructions. Ideally, TSD allows exploitation of MLP under an unlimited number of physical registers, and consequently only a small register file is needed for MLP. In practice, however, the amount of MLP exploitable is limited, because there are cases where either 1) pre-execution is not performed; or 2) the timing of pre-execution is delayed. Both are due to data dependencies among the pre-executed instructions. This paper proposes the use of value prediction to solve these problems. This paper proposes the use of value prediction to solve these problems. Evaluation results using the SPECfp2000 benchmark confirm that the proposed scheme with value prediction for predicting addresses achieves equivalent IPC, with a smaller register file, to the previous TSD scheme. The reduction rate of the register file size is 21%.

For over 40-Gbps optical communication systems, phase coded modulation formats, like differential phase shift keying (DPSK) and quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), are very important for signal frequency efficiency and long-reach transmission. In such systems, differential receivers which regenerate phase signals are key components. Dual Photo Diodes (dual PDs) are key semiconductor devices which determine the receiver performance. Each PD of the dual PDs should realize high speed performance, high responsibility and high input power operation capability. Highly symmetrical characteristics between the two PDs should be also realized, thus the dual PDs are desired to be monolithically integrated to one chip. In this paper, we describe the design, fabrication, characteristics and reliability of monolithically integrated dual evanescently coupled waveguide photodiodes (EC-WG-PDs) for the purpose described above. The structure of the EC-WG-PDs offers the attractive advantages of high speed performance, high responsivity and high input power operation. Furthermore, their fabrication process is suitable for the integration of two PDs on one ship. First, the optimization was done for high products of 3-dB bandwidth and responsivity for 43-Gbps DPSK receivers. Excellent characteristics (50 GHz bandwidth with a responsivity of 0.95 A/W), and high reliability were demonstrated. The other type of optimization was done for ultra high speed operation up to 100-Gbps. The fabricated PDs exhibited the 3 dB-bandwidth of 80 GHz with a responsivity of 0.25 A/W. Furthermore, 43-Gbps RZ-DPSK receivers including the dual EC-WG-PDs based on the former optimization and differential transimpedance amplifiers (TIAs) newly developed for the purpose were also presented. Clear and symmetrical eye openings were observed for both ports. The OSNR characteristics exhibited 14.3 dB at a bit error rate of 10-3 that is able to be recovery with FEC. These performances are enough for practical use in 43-Gbps RZ-DPSK systems.

We present an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) based multichannel slotted ALOHA for cognitive radio networks (OMSA-CR). The performance of an infinite population based OMSA-CR system is analyzed in terms of channel capacity, throughput, delay, and packet capture effect. We investigate the channel capacity for OMSA-CR with perfect or imperfect spectrum sensing. We introduce the proposed CR MAC based on two channel selection schemes: non-agile channel selection (NCS) and agile channel selection (ACS). Comparing them, we show the tradeoff between complexity and system performance. We verify the proposed CR system model using numerical analysis. In particular, using simulation with a finite populated linear feedback model, we observe the OMSA-CR MAC tradeoff between throughput and minimum delay whose results matched those of the analytical framework. Numerical results for the proposed system throughput are also compared to conventional MACs, including pure ALOHA based CR MAC.

In an embedded control system, control performances of each job depend on its latency and a control algorithm implemented in it. In order to adapt a job set to optimize control performances subject to schedulability, we design several types of control software for each job, which will be called versions, and select one version from them when the job is released. A real-time system where each job has several versions is called a multiversion real-time system. A benefit and a CPU utilization of a job depend on the versions. So, it is an important problem to select a version of each job so as to maximize the total benefit of the system subject to a schedulability condition. Such a problem will be called an optimal configuration problem. In this paper, we assume that each version is specified by the relative deadline, the execution time, and the benefit. We show that the optimal configuration problem is transformed to a maximum path length problem. We propose an optimal algorithm based on the forward dynamic programming. Moreover, we propose sub-optimal algorithms to reduce computation times. The efficiencies of the proposed algorithms are illustrated by simulations.

A mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) consists of a collection of wireless mobile nodes without any fixed network infrastructure. Since the mobile nodes form a constantly changing topology, the design of efficient and scalable routing protocols is a fundamental challenge in MANETs. In the current literature, position-based routing protocols are regarded as having better scalability and lower control overhead than topology-based routing protocols. Since location services are the most critical part of position-based routing protocols, we present a multi-home-region scheme, Distributed Virtual Home Region with Spatial Awareness (DVHR-SA), to improve the performance of location service in this paper. Our scheme adaptively selects different update and query procedures according to the location of a source node. The simulation results show that DVHR-SA shortens the lengths of the update, query and reply paths. Our scheme also reduces the overall network message overhead. Therefore, DVHR-SA is considerably fast and stable.

In this paper, we propose a two-step error concealment algorithm based on an error resilient three-dimensional discrete wavelet transform (3-D DWT) video coding scheme. The proposed scheme consists of an error-resilient encoder duplicating the lowest sub-band bit-streams for dispersive grouped frames and an error concealment decoder. The error concealment method of this decoder is decomposed of two steps, the first step is replacement of erroneous coefficients in the lowest sub-band by the duplicated coefficients, and the second step is interpolation of the missing wavelet coefficients by minimum mean square error (MMSE) estimation. The proposed scheme can achieve robust transmission over unreliable channels. Experimental results provide performance comparisons in terms of peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and demonstrate increased performances compared to state-of-the-art error concealment schemes.

In this paper, the optimum combination of optical pseudo-noise (PN) code and modulation scheme to achieve high total data transmission rate is presented. Moreover, the bit error rate (BER) performance of a wireless OCDMA system using chip-level detection is evaluated through theoretical analysis in the multi-user case. It is shown that, in a wireless OCDMA system with chip-level detection, the total data transmission rate of a multi-pulse pulse position modulation (MPPM) systems with optical pseudo-noise code generated by an M-sequence is better than that of an MPPM system with optical orthogonal code and that of an MPPM system with an extended prime code sequence. Moreover, the total data transmission rate of an MPPM/SIK system using modified pseudo orthogonal M-sequence sets can achieve more than 1.0 [bit/chip].

In this paper, we propose two new chosen-ciphertext (CCA) secure schemes from the computational Diffie-Hellman (CDH) and bilinear computational Diffie-Hellman (BCDH) assumptions. Our first scheme from the CDH assumption is constructed by extending Cash-Kiltz-Shoup scheme. This scheme yields the same ciphertext as that of Hanaoka-Kurosawa scheme (and thus Cramer-Shoup scheme) with cheaper computational cost for encryption. However, key size is still the same as that of Hanaoka-Kurosawa scheme. Our second scheme from the BCDH assumption is constructed by extending Boyen-Mei-Waters scheme. Though this scheme requires a stronger underlying assumption than the CDH assumption, it yields significantly shorter key size for both public and secret keys. Furthermore, ciphertext length of our second scheme is the same as that of the original Boyen-Mei-Waters scheme.

Based on the characteristics of the thresholds of two detection schemes employing locally optimum test statistics, a sequential detection design procedure is proposed and analyzed. The proposed sequential test, called the sequential locally optimum test (SLOT), inherently provides finite stopping time (terminates with probability one within the finite horizon), and thereby avoids undesirable forced termination. The performance of the SLOT is compared with that of the fixed sample-size test, sequential probability ratio test (SPRT), truncated SPRT, and 2-SPRT. It is observed that the SLOT requires smaller average sample numbers than other schemes at most values of the normalized signal amplitude while maintaining the error performance close to the SPRT.

Binary maximal-length sequences (or m-sequences) are sequences of period 2m-1 generated by a linear recursion of degree m. Decimating an m-sequence {st} by an integer d relatively prime to 2m-1 leads to another m-sequence {sdt} of the same period. The crosscorrelation of m-sequences has many applications in communication systems and has been an important and well studied problem during more than 40 years. This paper presents an updated survey on the crosscorrelation between binary m-sequences with at most five-valued crosscorrelation and shows some of the many recent connections of this problem to several areas of mathematics such as exponential sums and Dickson polynomials.

Recently, Mooij et al. proposed new sufficient conditions for convergence of the sum-product algorithm, and it was also shown that if the factor graph is a tree, Mooij's sufficient condition for convergence is always activated. In this letter, we show that the converse of the above statement is also true under some assumption, and that the assumption holds for the sum-product decoding. These newly obtained fact implies that Mooij's sufficient condition for convergence of the sum-product decoding is activated if and only if the factor graph of the a posteriori probability of the transmitted codeword is a tree.

This letter examines the problem of allocating the subcarrier power of the relayed signal in orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) based dual-hop systems in which the relay terminal is operated in an Amplify-and-Forward (AF) mode and the source node transmits its signal with a uniform power distribution. In AF relaying systems, both the modulation order and the error control scheme are fixed at the relay node, and thus the potential for increasing the data rate via a suitable allocation of the subcarrier power at the relay node does not exist. Therefore, this study proposes an alternative subcarrier power allocation scheme in which the objective is to scale the power assigned to each of the relayed signal sub-carriers in such a way as to minimize the equivalent average noise power at the destination terminal.

Let q and f(x) be an odd characteristic and an irreducible polynomial of degree m over Fq, respectively. Then, suppose that F(x)=xmf(x+x-1) becomes irreducible over Fq. This paper shows that the conjugate zeros of F(x) with respect to Fq form a normal basis in Fq2m if and only if those of f(x) form a normal basis in Fqm and the compart of conjugates given as follows are linearly independent over Fq, {γ-γ-1,(γ-γ-1)q, …,(γ-γ-1)qm-1} where γ is a zero of F(x) and thus a proper element in Fq2m. In addition, from the viewpoint of q-polynomial, this paper proposes an efficient method for checking whether or not the conjugate zeros of F(x) satisfy the condition.

We consider the backlight calculation of local dimming as an optimization problem. The luminance produced by many LEDs at each pixel considered is calculated which should cover the gray value of each pixel, while the sum of LED currents is to be minimized. For this purpose a specific approach called as "Sorted Sector Covering" (SSC) was developed and is described in this paper. In our pre-processing unit called condenser the source image is reduced to a matrix of much lower resolution so that the computation effort of the SSC algorithm is drastically reduced. During this preprocessing phase, filter functions can be integrated so that a further reduction of the power consumption is achieved. Our processing system allows high power saving and high visual quality at low processor cost. We approach the local dimming problem in the physical viewing direction -- from LED to pixel. The luminance for the pixel is based on the light spread function (LSF) and the PWM values of the LEDs. As the physical viewing direction is chosen, this method is universal and can be applied for any kind of LED arrangement -- direct-lit as well as edge-lit. It is validated on prototypes, e.g., a locally dimmed edge-lit TV.

We study the use of the additive white Gaussian noise channel to achieve a cryptographic primitive that is important in secure multiparty computation. A protocol for unconditionally secure oblivious transfer is presented. We show that channel input alphabets with a certain algebraic structure and their partitions are useful in achieving the requirements on the primitive. Signal design for a protocol with high information rate is discussed.

For decoding non-binary low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes, logarithm-domain sum-product (Log-SP) algorithms were proposed for reducing quantization effects of SP algorithm in conjunction with FFT. Since FFT is not applicable in the logarithm domain, the computations required at check nodes in the Log-SP algorithms are computationally intensive. What is worth, check nodes usually have higher degree than variable nodes. As a result, most of the time for decoding is used for check node computations, which leads to a bottleneck effect. In this paper, we propose a Log-SP algorithm in the Fourier domain. With this algorithm, the role of variable nodes and check nodes are switched. The intensive computations are spread over lower-degree variable nodes, which can be efficiently calculated in parallel. Furthermore, we develop a fast calculation method for the estimated bits and syndromes in the Fourier domain.

The authors describe a method to produce gold nanoparticle-dispersed liquid crystals by means of sputtering, and discuss how the presence of gold nanoparticles affect the electro-optic response of the host liquid crystal. The method exploits the fact that liquid crystals possess low vapor pressures which allow them to undergo the sputtering process, and the target material is sputtered directly on the liquid crystal in a reduced air pressure environment. The sample attained a red-brownish color after sputtering, but no aggregations were observed in the samples kept in the liquid crystal phase. Polarization optical microscopy of the sample placed in a conventional sandwich cell revealed that the phase transition behaviour is affected by the presence of the nanoparticles and that the onset of the nematic phase is observed in the form of bubble-like domains whereas in the pure sample the nematic phase appears after the passing of a phase transition front. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed the presence of single nano-sized particles that were dispersed without forming aggregates in the material. The electro-optic properties of the nanoparticle-dispersed liquid crystal was investigated by measuring the threshold voltage for a twisted-nematic cell. The threshold voltage was found to depend on the frequency of the applied rectangular voltage, and at frequencies higher than 200 Hz, the threshold became lower than the pure samples.