This paper reviews the recent development of the Boolean Single Flux Quantum (BSFQ) circuits. BSFQ circuits perform Boolean operation based on the superconducting flux level, and let digital bits propagate in the form of 'set' and 'reset' pulses using dual-rail Josephson transmission line (JTL). Just the same as CMOS circuits BSFQ circuits do not require any local clock system for the operation gates, and thus are delay insensitive, and comparably simple in terms of the number of Josephson junctions. Implementation of basic BSFQ circuits, namely 'NOT,' 'AND,' 'OR,' 'XOR' gate, is described. These circuits have been experimentally tested, and their workability has been proven.

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.

This paper examines similarities between the Decision Diffie-Hellman (DDH) assumption and the Quadratic Residuosity (QR) assumption. In addition, we show that many cryptographic protocols based on the QR assumption can be reconstructed using the DDH assumption.

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.

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.

A broadcast distribution system (BDS) is a system for the distribution of digital contents over broadcast channel where the data supplier broadcasts the contents in encrypted form and gives each subscriber a decoder containing a secret decryption key. A traitor is a subscriber who offers the information which allows to decrypt the broadcast. When a pirate decoder is captured, if at least one traitor can be identified from it, a BDS is said to be traitor-tracing. If the data supplier can prevent subscribers from obtaining the contents without recalling their decoders, a BDS is said to be subscriber-excluding. In this paper, we propose an efficient BDS which is both subscriber-excluding and traitor-tracing. We use similar mathematics to a threshold cryptosystem. In the proposed BDS, the maximum number of excluded subscribers reaches the maximum number of traitors in a coalition for which at least one traitor can be identified. We prove that the proposed BDS is secure against ciphertext-only attack if and only if ElGamal cryptosystem is secure against the attack and the discrete logarithm problem is hard. The proposed BDS is the first one which satisfies all the following features: Both subscriber-excluding and traitor-tracing, identifying all the traitors, black box tracing and public key system.

In this paper, we propose a mathematical model for one-dimensional finite linear cellular automata and show connections between our model and the classical one. We then demonstrate, through some examples, that our model is a useful tool for analyzing one-dimensional finite linear cellular automata. We also extend this model to the D-dimensional case and give an algebraic characterization for it.

This paper is, in half part, written in review nature, and presents recent theoretical results on linear-filtering and -prediction problems of nonstationary Gaussian processes. First, the basic concepts, signal and noise, are mathematically characterized, and information sources are defined by linear stochastic differential equations. Then, it is shown that the solution to a conventional problem of filtering or prediction of a nonstationary time series is, in principle, reducible to a problem, of which solution is given by Kalman-Bucy's theory, if one can solve a problem of finding the canonical representation of a Gaussian process such that it has the same covariance functions as those of the time series under consideration. However, the problem mentioned above is left open. Further, the problem of time-frequency analysis is discussed, and physical realizability of the evolutionary, i.e., the online, spectral analyzer is shown. Methods for dealing with differential operators are presented and their basic properties are clarified. Finally, some of related open problems are proposed.

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.

A uniquely parsable unification grammar (UPUG) is a formal grammar with the following features: (1) parsing is performed without backtracking, and (2) each nonterminal symbol can have arguments, and derivation and parsing processes accompany unification of terms as in Prolog (or logic programming). We newly introduce a uniquely parallel parsable unification grammar (UPPUG) by extending the framework of a UPUG so that parallel parsing is also possible. We show that, in UPPUG, parsing can be done without backtracking in both cases of parallel and sequential reductions. We give examples of UPPUGs where a given input string can be parsed in sublinear number of steps of the length of the input by parallel reduction.

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.

This paper describes how the image sequences taken by a stationary video camera may be effectively processed to detect and track moving objects against a stationary background in real-time. Our approach is first to isolate the moving objects in image sequences via a modified adaptive background estimation method and then perform token tracking of multiple objects based on features extracted from the processed image sequences. In feature based multiple object tracking, the most prominent tracking issues are track initialization, data association, occlusions due to traffic congestion, and object maneuvering. While there are limited past works addressing these problems, most relevant tracking systems proposed in the past are independently focused to either "occlusion" or "data association" only. In this paper, we propose the KL-IMMPDA (Kanade Lucas-Interacting Multiple Model Probabilistic Data Association) filtering approach for multiple-object tracking to collectively address the key issues. The proposed method essentially employs optical flow measurements for both detection and track initialization while the KL-IMMPDA filter is used to accept or reject measurements, which belong to other objects. The data association performed by the proposed KL-IMMPDA results in an effective tracking scheme, which is robust to partial occlusions and image clutter of object maneuvering. The simulation results show a significant performance improvement for tracking multi-objects in occlusion and maneuvering, when compared to other conventional trackers such as Kalman filter.

A passive branched optical network unified for broadcasting and communication utilizing a set of Fabry-Perot etalons with different cavity lengths is proposed and its basic operation including thermal stability of broadcasting channel is demonstrated. It is confirmed that a high transmission frequency in common for a pair of fiber Fabry-Perot etalons is always found however environmental temperature changes.

Private information retrieval for k 1 databases (denoted by (k,l)-PIR for short) is a protocol that (1) a user sends an l tuple query to each of k noncommunicating replicated databases; (2) each database responds the user with an answer corresponding to the l tuple query; (3) the user privately retrieve any single bit out of the n bits of data stored in k databases. In this model, "privacy" implies that the user retrieves the bit he is interested in but releases to each database nothing about which bit he wishes to get. In general, the efficiency of (k,l)-PIR is measured by the total amount of bits exchanged between the user and the k databases, but few about its lower bounds are known except for restricted cases. In this paper, we classify (k,l)-PIR into a linear type, a multilinear type, and an affine type with respect to the relationship between queries to each database (made by the user) and answers to the user (made by each database), and show that (1) the lower bound for the communication complexity of any multilinear type (k,l)-PIR is Ω(n1/(l+1)) (Theorem 3.1); (2) the lower bound for the communication complexity of any linear type (k,l)-PIR is Ω(n) (Corollary 3.2); (3) the lower bound for the communication complexity of any affine type (k,l)-PIR is Ω(n1/(l+1)) (Theorem 4.2).

The first important step in pre-processing data for 3D virtual colonoscopy requires careful segmentation of a complicated shaped colon. We describe an automatic colon segmentation method with a new patient-friendly bowel preparation scheme. This new bowel preparation makes the segmentation more appropriate for digitally removing undesirable remains in the colon. With the aim of segmenting the colon accurately, we propose two techniques which can solve the partial-volume-effect (PVE) problem on the boundaries between low and high intensity regions. Based on the features of the adverse PVE voxels on the gas and fluid boundary inside the colon, our vertical filter eliminates these PVE voxels. By seriously considering the PVE on the colon boundary, our gradient-magnitude-based region growing algorithm improves the accuracy of the boundary. The result of the automatic colon segmentation method is illustrated with both extracted 2D images from the experimental volumetric abdominal CT datasets and a reconstructed 3D colon model.

We present a digital double relaxation oscillation SQUID (DROS) with a digital flux-locked-loop (FLL) circuit consisting of an up/down counter and a digital-to-analog (D/A) converter. The up/down counter was designed using 4 jucntion logic (4JL) gates operated with a 2-phase power system. The D/A converter was designed using an R-2R ladder-type D/A converter. We simulated the dynamic behavior of the digital DROS with a digital FLL circuit combined with the 5-bit ripple up/down counter and the D/A converter. Simulation results show correct flux-locked behavior and a high slew rate of 107Φ0/s for the digital DROS.

Modified Edge Representation (MER) empirically proposed by one of the authors is the line integral representation for computing surface radiation integrals of diffraction. It has remarkable accuracy in surface to line integral reduction even for sources very close to the scatterer. It also overcomes false and true singularities in equivalent edge currents. This paper gives the mathematical derivation of MER by using Stokes' theorem; MER is not only asymptotic but also global approximation. It proves remarkable applicability of MER, that is, to smooth curved surface, closely located sources and arbitrary currents which are irrelevant to Maxwell equations.

Within the next few decades, high-end telecommunication systems on the larger nationwide network will require a switching capacity of over 5 Tbps. Advanced optical transmission technologies, such as wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) will support optical-fiber data transmission at such speeds. However, semiconductors may not be capable of high-throughput data switching because of the limitations by power consumption and operating speed, and pin count. Superconducting single flux quantum (SFQ) technology is a promising approach for overcoming these problems. This paper proposed an optical-electrical-SFQ hybrid switching system and a novel switch architecture. This architecture uses time-shifted internal speedup, shuffle and grouping exchange and a Batcher-Banyan switch. Our proposed switch consists of an interface circuit with small buffers, a Batcher sorter, a time-shift-speedup buffer (TSSB), a Banyan switch, and a slowdown buffer. Simulations showed good scalability up to 100 Tbps, which no router could ever offer such features.

This paper proposes a new construction of the visual secret sharing scheme for the (n,n)-threshold access structure applicable to color images. The construction uses matrices with n rows that can be identified with homogeneous polynomials of degree n. It is shown that, if we find a set of homogeneous polynomials of degree n satisfying a certain system of simultaneous partial differential equations, we can construct a visual secret sharing scheme for the (n,n)-threshold access structure by using the matrices corresponding to the homogeneous polynomials. The construction is easily extended to the cases of the (t,n)-threshold access structure and more general access structures.

This paper, for the first time, presents a provably secure signature scheme with message recovery based on the elliptic-curve discrete logarithm. The proposed scheme is proven to be secure in the strongest sense (i.e., existentially unforgeable against adaptively chosen message attacks) in the random oracle model under the discrete logarithm assumption. We give a concrete analysis of the security reduction. When practical hash functions are used in place of truly random functions, the proposed scheme is almost as efficient as the elliptic-curve version of the Schnorr signature scheme and existing schemes with message recovery such as the elliptic-curve version of the Nyberg-Rueppel and Miyaji schemes.