A brief review of metamaterials and their applications to antenna systems is given. Artificial magnetic conductors and electrically small radiating and scattering systems are emphasized. Single negative, double negative, and zero-index metamaterial systems are discussed as a means to manipulate their size, efficiency, bandwidth, and directivity characteristics.

A novel planar composite right/left handed (CRLH) transmission line (TL) with double-sided metal patterns, which is advantageous in high scalability and low-cost fabrication, is proposed. Fundamental characteristics of the unbalanced and balanced CRLH TLs are confirmed numerically and theoretically both by full-wave finite-element method (FEM) simulations and the equivalent circuit analysis in terms of dispersion characteristics and characteristic impedances for the periodic structure. It is also shown that the relations between the left-handed circuit parameters and the geometrical parameters of the unit cell are simple and intuitive, which is useful for designing the CRLH TL. Experiments on 10-cell unbalanced and balanced CRLH TLs are carried out and the left-handed and right-handed wave propagations are confirmed by scattering parameter and near field measurements.

Overlay networks are expected to be a promising technology for the realization of QoS (Quality of Service) control. Overlay networks have recently attracted considerable attention due to the following advantages: a new service can be developed in a short duration and it can be started with a low cost. The definition and necessity of the overlay network is described, and the classification of various current and future overlay networks, particularly according to the QoS feature, is attempted. In order to realize QoS control, it is considered that routing overlay and session overlay are promising solutions. In particular, session and overlay networks are explained in detail since new TCP protocols for QoS instead of current TCP protocols that control congestion in the Internet can be used within overlay networks. However, many open issues such as scalability still need further research and development although overlay networks have many attractive features and possess the potential to become a platform for the deployment of new services.

File-sharing Peer-to-Peer systems are effective for autonomous data retrieval and provision over the networks. However, the early data retrieval schemes such as Gnutella and Local Indices have low performance and large overhead. In order to solve weakness of early schemes, this paper proposes a dynamic scheme for data retrieval and provision, in which indices are adaptively allocated in appropriate nodes to variation of traffic patterns caused by query messages. The simulation experimental results show that the proposed scheme has good performance with reasonable overhead even when the traffic patterns vary as time proceeds.

Binary sequences with two-level periodic autocorrelation correspond directly to cyclic (v, k, λ)-designs. When v = 4t-1, k = 2t -1 and λ = t-1, for some positive integer t, the sequence (or design) is called a cyclic Hadamard sequence (or design). For all known examples, v is either a prime number, a product of twin primes, or one less than a power of 2. Except when v = 2k-1, all known examples are based on quadratic residues (using the Legendre symbol when v is prime, and the Jacobi symbol when v = p(p+2) where both p and p+2 are prime); or sextic residues (when v is a prime of the form 4a2 + 27). However, when v = 2k-1, many constructions are now known, including m-sequences (corresponding to Singer difference sets), quadratic and sextic residue sequences (when 2k-1 is prime), GMW sequences and their generalizations (when k is composite), certain term-by-term sums of three and of five m-sequences and more general sums of trace terms, several constructions based on hyper-ovals in finite geometries (found by Segre, by Glynn, and by Maschietti), and the result of performing the Welch-Gong transformation on some of the foregoing.

JPEG2000, an international standard for still image compression, offers 1) high coding performance, 2) unified lossless/lossy compression, and 3) resolution and SNR scalability. Resolution scalability is an especially promising attribute given the popularity of Super High Definition (SHD) images like digital-cinema. Unfortunately, its current implementation of resolution scalability is restricted to powers of two. In this paper, we introduce non-octave scalable coding (NSC) based on the use of filter banks. Two types of non-octave scalable coding are implemented. One is based on a DCT filter bank and the other uses wavelet transform. The latter is compatible with JPEG2000 Part2. By using the proposed algorithm, images with rational scale resolutions can be decoded from a compressed bit stream. Experiments on digital cinema test material show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

Efficient group rekeying is an important issue for secure group communications. Most of the proposed group rekeying methods require expensive encryption and decryption operations to rekey the group. However, in a model where a trusted server is used to distribute group keys, the trusted server may become a bottleneck because of the expensive computation operations, such as encryption, that it has to perform. In this paper, we propose a new stateless group rekeying scheme to solve the multicast group rekeying problem. In our proposed scheme, the trusted server combines mask-based key-location hiding with the simple XOR-encryption using secret hash values to rekey the group. Without affecting the system security, our approach reduces the processing cost of the trusted server by eliminating the need to encrypt the group key. Moreover, to acquire the group key, the computational cost of the group members is low and stable regardless of the rekeying message size.

This paper studies the scattering of a TM plane wave from a perfectly conductive sinusoidal surface with finite extent by the small perturbation method. We obtain the first and second order perturbed solutions explicitly, in terms of which the differential scattering cross section and the total scattering cross section per unit surface are calculated and are illustrated in figures. By comparison with results by a numerical method, it is concluded that the perturbed solution is reasonable even for a critical angle of incidence if the surface is small in roughness and gentle in slope and if the corrugation width is less than certain value. A brief discussion is given on multiple scattering effects.

We present a novel, simple, efficient algorithm to generate random samples uniformly on the directional space of a cone. This algorithm has three advantages over the conventional non-uniform approach. First, to the best of our knowledge, this algorithm is original for uniformly sampling smaller areas of cones. Second, it is faster. Third, it always generates valid samples, which is not possible for the conventional approach.

In this paper, we propose to employ an extension to the natural gradient algorithm for robust Independent Component Analysis against outliers. The standard natural gradient algorithm does not exhibit this property since it employs nonrobust sample estimates for computing higher order moments. In order to overcome this drawback, we propose to use robust alternatives to higher order moments, which are comparatively less sensitive to outliers in the observed data. Some computer simulations are presented to show that the proposed method, as compared to the standard natural gradient algorithm, gives better performance in the presence of outlying data.

We extend the sliding block code in symbolic dynamics to transform J (≥2) sequences of Markov chains with time delays. Under the assumption that the chains are irreducible and aperiodic, we prove the central limit theorem (CLT) for the normalized sums of extended sliding block codes from J sequences of Markov chains. We apply the theorem to the system analysis of asynchronous spread spectrum multiple access (SSMA) communication systems using spreading sequences of Markov chains. We find that the standard Gaussian approximation (SGA) for estimations of bit error probabilities in such systems is the 0-th order approximation of the evaluation based on the CLT. We also provide a simple theoretical evaluation of bit error probabilities in such systems, which agrees properly with the experimental results even for the systems with small number of users and low length of spreading sequences.

Design of optimal controllers satisfying performance criteria of minimum tracking error and disturbance level for an interval system using a multi-objective evolutionary approach is proposed in this paper. Based on a worst-case design philosophy, the design problem is formulated as a minimax optimization problem, subsequently solved by a proposed two-phase multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA). By using two sets of interactive genetic algorithms where the first one determines the maximum (worst-case) cost function values for a given set of controller parameters while the other one minimizes the maximum cost function values passed from the first genetic algorithm, the proposed approach evolutionarily derives the optimal controllers for the interval system. To suitably assess chromosomes for their fitness in a population, root locations of the 32 generalized Kharitonov polynomials will be used to establish a constraints handling mechanism, based on which a fitness function can be constructed for effective evaluation of the chromosomes. Because of the time-consuming process that genetic algorithms generally exhibit, particularly the problem nature of minimax optimization, a parallel computation scheme for the evolutionary approach in the MATLAB-based working environment is also proposed to accelerate the design process.

The optical ZCZ code is a set of pairs of binary and bi-phase sequences with zero correlation zone. An optical M-ary direct sequence spread spectrum (M-ary/DS-SS) system using this code can detect a desired sequence without interference of undesired sequences. However, the bank of matched filters in a receiver circuit may fall into large scale. In this paper, we propose the compact construction of a bank of matched filters for an M-ary/DS-SS system using an optical ZCZ code. This filter bank can decrease the number of 2-input adders from O(N2) to O(N) and delay circuits from O(N2) to O(Nlog 2 N), respectively, and is implemented on a field programmable gate array (FPGA) corresponding to 400,000 logic gates.

Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are overlay networks established on top of a public network backbone with the goal of providing a service comparable to Private Networks (PNs). The recently proposed VPN hose-model provides customers with flexible and convenient ways to specify their bandwidth requirements. To meet the specified bandwidth requirements, the Network Service Provider (NSP) must reserve sufficient bandwidth on the data transmission paths between each pair of endpoints in a VPN. In addition, the reliability of a VPN depends on the reliability of the data transmission paths. Italiano et al. proposed an algorithm that finds a set of backup paths for a given VPN (VPN tree) under the single-link failure model [1]. When a link failure is detected on a VPN tree, a backup path corresponding to the failed link can be activated to restore the disconnected VPN tree into a new one, thereby ensuring the reliability of the VPN. However, Italiano's algorithm cannot guarantee that the specified bandwidth requirement of the given VPN under the single-link failure model will be met. To address this issue, we propose a new backup path set selection algorithm called BANGUAD in this paper. In addition, the problem of establishing multiple bandwidth-guaranteed hose-model VPNs under the single-link failure model has not been investigated previously. However in this problem, bandwidth-sharing algorithms have the potential to improve the performance of a provisioning algorithm significantly. Therefore, we also propose a bandwidth sharing algorithm and three provisioning algorithms for establishing multiple bandwidth-guaranteed hose-model VPNs under the single-link failure model. Simulations that compare the performance of the proposed algorithms are reported.

In this paper, a parallel combinatory spread spectrum (PC/SS) system using a constant amplitude signaling scheme is proposed. The amplitude of the transmitted signal from multicode transmission systems such as PC/SS systems have a large dynamic range which requires that amplifiers have a wide linearity in the transmitter. From a view point of power efficiency, however, it is reasonable to use non-linear amplifiers rather than linear ones. In that case, the bit error rate performance must degrade because of non-linear distortion. The proposed system can avoid influence of the non-linear amplifiers by making the transmitted signal have a constant amplitude. The bit error rate performance and the data transmission rate performance are investigated. They prove that the proposed system is an attractive candidate among the constant amplitude signaling systems.

The Schaub bound is one of well-known lower bounds of the minimum distance for given cyclic code C, and defined as the minimum value, which is a lower bound on rank of matrix corresponding a codeword, in defining sequence for all sub-cyclic codes of given code C. In this paper, we will try to show relationships between the Schaub bound, the Roos bound and the shift bound from numerical experiments. In order to reduce computational time for the Schaub bound, we claim one conjecture, from numerical examples in binary and ternary cases with short code length that the Schaub bound can be set the value from only defining sequence of given code C.

Quasi-orthogonal Space Time Block Code (STBC) was designed to provide full transmission rate when using more than two antennas. However, it cannot have a full diversity gain because of the interference resulted from its quasi orthogonality property. In order to achieve full diversity from quasi-orthogonal STBC, the interference can be removed by a Simple Correlation Canceling (SCC) algorithm which improves a system performance significantly. However, the SCC algorithm has a disadvantage that produces noise enhancement, thereby resulting in performance degradation. Accordingly, without increasing an extra system complexity, an unequal power allocation scheme in a transmitter is proposed to achieve a better system performance than the conventional STBC system using the SCC algorithm. Also, the unequal power allocation scheme enables a receiver to use a simple decoding procedure that does not produce noise enhancement.

The development of a small and multiband antenna plays an important role in the rapidly growing mobile communication market. This paper presents the design of a novel small and wideband planar inverted F-antenna which simultaneously covers GSM850/GSM900/DCS1900/IMT2000/WLAN/DMB services. The proposed antenna consists of a main patch with a pair of slits and L-shaped patch, occupying a total volume of 15366 mm3. A very wide impedance bandwidth characteristic was achieved by optimizing both the gap distance between the feed line and L-shaped patch, and also the lengths and widths of a pair of slits on the main patch, which is excited by the modified CPW-fed line. The average gains at the frequencies of 850, 2000 and 2600 MHz were -2.51, -1.42 and -1.68 dBi, respectively. The overall shape of the radiation patterns is suitable for mobile communications.

A novel purely distributed two-dimensional (2D) planar structure with a negative refractive index (NRI) is proposed. The structure consists of a 2D periodic array of unit cells with metal patterns on the both sides of a substrate. The unit cell with the dimension of 55 mm2 is designed at an operation frequency of about 5 GHz by full-wave finite element method simulations. Numerical simulations on the dispersion characteristics are carried out and NRI property of the structure is confirmed. A equivalent circuit taking into account the mutual capacitance between the adjacent ports in the unit cell is introduced, and theoretical investigations based on the equivalent circuit reveals that the anisotropy can be controlled by the mutual capacitance. A 1020 unit-cell NRI material is fabricated and the NRI property has been confirmed experimentally in excellent agreement with Snell's law.

Electromagnetic crystals formed by vertical full posts stacked in a rectangular waveguide are analyzed using the image theory and the lattice sums technique. It is shown that the frequency response of the crystals consisting of circular posts can be obtained by a simpler matrix calculus based on the one-dimensional lattice sums, the T-matrix of a circular cylinder in free space, and the generalized reflection and transmission matrices.