This paper reviews analog-circuit researches in the 1990's especially from an academic-side point of view with the aim of pursuing what becomes important in the 21st century. To achieve this aim a large number of articles are surveyed and more than 200 are listed in References.

This paper describes an application of a speech translation system to another task/domain in the real-world by using developmental data collected from real-world interactions. The total cost for this task-alteration was calculated to be 9 Person-Month. The newly applied system was also evaluated by using speech data collected from real-world interactions. For real-world speech having a machine-friendly speaking style, the newly applied system could recognize typical sentences with a word accuracy of 90% or better. We also found that, concerning the overall speech translation performance, the system could translate about 80% of the input Japanese speech into acceptable English sentences.

This paper evaluates the security of the block cipher E2 against truncated differential cryptanalysis. We show an algorithm to search for effective truncated differentials. The result of the search confirmed that there exist no truncated differentials that lead to possible attacks for E2 with more than 8 rounds. The best attack breaks an 8-round variant of E2 with either IT-Function (the initial transformation) or FT-Function (the final transformation) using 294 chosen plaintexts. We also found the attack which distinguishes a 7-round variant of E2 with IT- and FT-Functions from a random permutation using 291 chosen plaintexts.

This paper proposes a statistical method to estimate the optimal software release time which minimizes the expected total software cost incurred in both testing and operation phases. It is shown that the underlying cost minimization problem can be reduced to a graphical one. This implies that the software release problem under consideration is essentially equivalent to a time series forecasting for the software fault-occurrence time data. In order to predict the future fault-occurrence time, we apply three extraordinary auto-regressive models by Singpurwalla and Soyer (1985) as the prediction devices as well as the well-known AR and ARIMA models. Numerical examples are devoted to illustrate the predictive performance for the proposed method. We compare it with the classical exponential software reliability growth model based on the non-homogeneous Poisson process, using actual software fault-occurrence time data.

A fast method for computing a multiple mP for a point P on elliptic curves is proposed. This new method is based on optimal addition sequences and the Frobenius map. The new method can be effectively applied to elliptic curves E(Fqn), where q is a prime power of medium size (e.g., q 128). When we compute mP over curves E(Fqn) with qn of nearly 160-bits and 11 q 128, the new method requires less elliptic curve additions than previously proposed methods. In this case, the average number of elliptic curve additions ranges from 40 to 50.

A history of the English IEICE Transactions from the beginning is stated through the eyes of the person who has been involved in promoting the Transactions, by a description of why and how it has actually been reformed. The purpose and significance of the English IEICE Transactions, especially of the IEICE Trans. Fundamentals, are clarified.

Many new multimedia applications involve multiple dynamically changing participants, have stringent source-to-end delay requirements, and consume large amounts of network resources. A conventional algorithm that allows "two coming paths," where nodes in a multicast tree transmit several identical data flows, is therefore not practical. We have developed an algorithm for delay-constrained dynamic routing. This algorithm uses a QoS label to prevent the occurrence of "two coming paths," and can construct an efficient multicast tree for any traffic volume. The proposed algorithm was superior to conventional routing algorithms in terms of cost when nodes were added to or removed from the multicast group during a steady-state simulation.

New good convolutional codes with optimal free distance are tabulated for the number of memories M 22 and rate R=1/2, which were selected based on the criterion of minimizing the decoding error rate and bit error rate. Furthermore, for R=1/3, 1/4 and M 13, we give the new good codes and make clear the existance of the codes with minimum free distance which achieve to Heller's upper bound for M 16.

The need for electronic sealed-bid auction services with quantitative competition is increasing. This paper proposes a new method that combines one-way functions and a bit commitment technique for quantitative competitive sealed-bid auctions. Since each modular exponentiation is replaced with a one-way function, the proposed method's computational time is one forty thousandth that of the former methods and the proposed method suits mass bidder systems.

Modeling a complicated system as a multi-agent system is one of the most promising ways of designing a large, complex system. If we can assume that each agent in a multi-agent system has mental states (beliefs, knowledge, desires and so on), we can formalize each agent's behaviors in an abstract way without being bothered by system implementation details. We present semantic structures that are useful for representing belief states in multi-agent environments. One of the structures is a restriction of partial Kripke structures studied by Jaspars and Thijsse: we assume that each agent can access from a state of a structure to at most one state. We call the restricted structures only-child partial Kripke structures. We show some properties of only-child partial Kripke structures. Another structure is a restriction of the alternate nonstandard structures defined by Fagin et al. to deal with the logical-omniscience problem. We show several relationships between partial Kripke structures and the restriction of alternate nonstandard structures. Using the results, we show that the outputs of a belief estimation algorithm we previously developed can be characterized by using only-child partial Kripke structures. Finally, we show that only-child partial Kripke structures are more appropriate for the belief estimation problem than the restricted nonstandard structures.

In this paper, we propose a new kind of precoding method, modulated coded vector-TH precoding, to mitigate the channel intersymbol interference. The optimal design of the modulated code in vector TH precoding is presented. The coding gain of modulated coded vector TH precoding over conventional scalar TH precoding scheme is investigated in theory. Some simulation results are reported, which show that the proposed modulated coded vector TH scheme can provide a considerable coding gain compared with the conventional precoding techniques.

Channel coding for bandwidth limited channels based on multilevel bit-interleaved channels is discussed in this paper. This coding and decoding structure has the advantage of simplified design, and naturally incorporates flexible and powerful design of unequal error protection (UEP) capabilities, especially over time-varying channels to be often found in mobile radio communications. Multilevel coded modulation with multistage decoding, and bit-interleaved coded modulation are special cases of the proposed general framework. Simulation results verify the usefulness of the system considered.

Information geometry is applied to the manifold of neural networks called multilayer perceptrons. It is important to study a total family of networks as a geometrical manifold, because learning is represented by a trajectory in such a space. The manifold of perceptrons has a rich differential-geometrical structure represented by a Riemannian metric and singularities. An efficient learning method is proposed by using it. The parameter space of perceptrons includes a lot of algebraic singularities, which affect trajectories of learning. Such singularities are studied by using simple models. This poses an interesting problem of statistical inference and learning in hierarchical models including singularities.

In this paper, we investigate the blocking characteristics of all-optical WDM (Wavelength-Division Multiplexing) networks under distributed wavelength assignment policies. For assigning wavelengths in a distributed manner, we consider two algorithms: random and locally-most-used algorithm. For a random wavelength assignment policy, we develop new blocking models of unidirectional/bidirectional ring networks based on the M/M/c/c queueing models under uniform/nonuniform traffic conditions. These models are shown to be more accurate than the previous blocking models since our approach considers the large traffic correlation among links in ring networks. We also analyze the blocking performance of the locally-most-used algorithm by comparing with that of the globally-most-used algorithm in fixed routing networks. We show that our analysis models match well with the simulation results in ring and mesh networks. Through the comparison with the previous centralized/distributed algorithms, it is demonstrated that the distributed locally-most-used algorithm is computationally efficient with good blocking performance.

Phase locked loops (PLL's) are well known as a threshold extension demodulator for analogue FM signals. This capability may lead to the low bit error rate demodulation for digital FM signals. A PLL has also its native frequency tracking ability and is suited to the demodulation of the signals having large Doppler shifts, for example signals from Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. In this paper, we study the demodulation scheme of Continuous Phase FSK (CPFSK) and Gaussian filtered MSK (GMSK) signals using a Digital Signal Processing type Digital PLL (DSP DPLL). First we propose a DSP DPLL completely equivalent to an Analog PLL (APLL). Next we adopt the sequence estimation scheme to compensate the Inter-Symbol Interference (ISI) associated with the finite loop bandwidth of the DSP DPLL. Through computer simulations it is clarified that the proposed DSP DPLL with sequence estimator can achieve better BER performance compared with the conventional Limiter Discriminator (LD) detection on the AWGN channel. We have also shown that the DSP DPLL with sequence estimator has excellent BER characteristics on Rician fading channels having actual large Doppler shifts.

We propose a blind source separation algorithm for the mixture of finite alphabet sources where sensors are less than sources. The algorithm consists of an update equation of an estimated mixing matrix and enumeration of the inferred sources. We present the bound of a step size for the stability of the algorithm and two methods of assignment of the initial point of the estimated mixing matrix. Simulation results verify the proposed algorithm.

For physically disabled persons, the conventional computer keyboard is insufficient as a useable communication device. In this paper, Morse code is selected as a communication adaptive device for persons with impaired hand coordination and dexterity. Morse code is composed of a series of dots, dashes, and space intervals. Each element is transmitted by sending a signal for a defined length of time. Maintaining a stable typing rate by the disabled is difficult. To solve this problem, a suitable adaptive automatic recognition method, which combines a variable degree variable step size LMS algorithm with a learning vector quantization method, was applied to this problem in the present study. The method presented here is divided into five stages: space recognition, tone recognition, learning process, adaptive processing, and character recognition. Statistical analyses demonstrated that the proposed method elicited a better recognition rate in comparison to alternative methods in the literature.

We present a distributed protocol for achieving totally unbiased global coin flipping in the presence of an adversary. We consider a synchronous system of n processors at most t of which may be corrupted and manipulated by a malicious adversary, and assume a complete network where every two processors are connected via a private channel. Our protocol is deterministic and assumes a very powerful adversary. Although the adversary cannot eavesdrop, it is computationally unbounded, capable of rushing and dynamic. This is the same model that is adopted in Yao's global coin flipping protocol, which we use as the base of our protocol. Our protocol tolerates almost n/3 processor failures and terminates in t+4 rounds. The resilience of our protocol is greatly improved from that of Yao's protocol at the slight expense of running time, which is only added just two rounds.

In this paper we propose a mobile positioning method based on a recursive least squares (RLS) algorithm for suppressing the non-line of sight (NLOS) effects in cellular systems. The proposed method finds the position of a mobile station from TOAs measured by three BSs. Simulation results show that the proposed method has a fast convergence time and greatly reduces the positioning error especially in NLOS situations. Thus it is expected that the proposed method can be effectively used in a dense urban environment.

The field supported by multilayered periodic waveguides is well characterized by only one or two discrete leaky waves, rather than by a more complicated field representation that includes continuous spectra. The rigorous leaky-modes coupled in multilayered geometry can be then treated by relatively simpler and analytic model that describes the operation of practical optoelectronic devices in terms of leakage effects. To complement our modeling, we discuss and emphasize novel mathematical formulations based on the field orthogonality conditions of TE and TM modes coupled in multilayered periodic structures. In addition, to show the validity of our approach we numerically evaluate new physical meanings to illustrate quantitatively and rigorously the coupling efficiency of grating-assisted directional couplers (GADCs). The results reveal that the systematic and effective technique yields phenomenologically useful interpretations.