In this letter we present efficient iterative frequency domain equalization for single-carrier (SC) transmission systems with insufficient cyclic prefix (CP). Based on minimum mean square error (MMSE) criteria, iterative decision feedback frequency domain equalization (IDF-FDE) combined with cyclic prefix reconstruction (CPR) is derived to mitigate inter-symbol interference (ISI) and inter-carrier interference (ICI). Computer simulation results reveal that the proposed scheme significantly improves the performance of SC systems with insufficient CP compared with previous schemes.

To reduce the huge search space when customizing accelerators for the application specific instruction-set processor (ASIP), this paper proposes an automated customization method based on the data flow graph exploration. This method integrates the instruction identification and selection using an iterative improvement strategy, which uses a seed-growth algorithm to select the valid patterns that can bring higher performance enhancement. The search space is reduced by considering the performance factors during the identification stage. The experimental results indicate that the proposed method is feasible enough compared to the previous exhaustive algorithms.

Silicon Mach-Zehnder interferometric (MZI) waveguide modulator incorporating the n-channel junction field-effect transistor (JFET) as a signal modulation unit was designed, fabricated, and analyzed. The proposed MZI with JFET was designed to operate based on the plasma dispersion effect in the infrared wavelength of 1550 nm. The three different modulation lengths (ML) of 500, 1000, and 2000 µm while keeping the overall MZI length constant at 1.5 cm were set as a general design rule for these 10 µm-wide MZIs under study. When the JFET was operated in an active mode by injecting approximately 50 mA current (Is) to achieve a π phase shift, the modulation efficiency of the device was measured to be η = π /(Is· L) 40π/A-mm. The temporal and frequency response measurements also demonstrate that the respectively rise and fall times measured using a high-speed photoreceiver were in the neighborhood of 8.5 and 7.5 µsec and the 3 dB roll-off frequency (f3 dB) measured was in the excess of 400 kHz.

A bidirectional amplification module has been proposed for use in IP-over-CWDM networks. The module is based on a bidirectional erbium-doped fiber amplifier. The loss compensation characteristics of the module obtained in a bidirectional IP transmission experiment confirmed that the losses of the optical node and the transmission fiber in the network can be compensated for effectively by the module making it possible to increase the number of nodes and the total fiber length of the network.

In this paper, a novel channel estimation method for time domain synchrotrons orthogonal frequency domain multiplexing (TDS-OFDM) based on training sequence cyclic reconstruction is proposed to eliminate residual inter-block interference (IBI); it estimates the channel impulse response (CIR) in an iterative manner. A simulation and analysis show that the proposed method can effectively perform the channel estimation over long-delay multipath channels with low complexity.

In this paper, a novel receiver architecture is proposed for multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) systems; the proposed architecture helps achieve superior performance in multipath fading channels when the number of layered streams exceeds the number of receiving antennas. In this architecture, the concept of “virtual channel” is adopted to attain diversity gain even when successive detection is applied for reducing computational complexity, while orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is employed to combat multipath fading. Actually, successive detection is carried out in all possible virtual channels, and the virtual channel with the minimum error probability is detected with the assistance of the maximum a-posteriori (MAP) decoder in the architecture. In addition, soft input and soft output (SISO) iterative detection is introduced in the virtual channel estimation scheme. The performance of the proposed architecture is verified by computer simulations. This architecture can be implemented with lesser complexity than that in maximum likelihood detection (MLD), but the gain in the former case exceeds that in the latter by 4.5 dB at the BER of 10-3 for 42 MIMO-OFDM.

The present paper introduces a new approach to the construction of a sequence set with a zero-correlation zone for both periodic and aperiodic correlation functions. The proposed sequences can be constructed from a pair of Hadamard matrices of orders n0 and n1. The constructed sequence set consists of n0 n1 ternary sequences, each of length n0(m+2)(n1+Δ), for a non-negative integer m and Δ ≥ 2. The zero-correlation zone of the proposed sequences is |τ| ≤ n0m+1-1, where τ is the phase shift. The proposed sequence set consists of n0 subsets, each with a member size n1. The correlation function of the sequences of a pair of different subsets, referred to as the inter-subset correlation function, has a zero-correlation zone with a width that is approximately Δ times that of the correlation function of sequences of the same subset (intra-subset correlation function). The inter-subset zero-correlation zone of the proposed sequences is |τ| ≤ Δn0m+1, where τ is the phase shift. The wide inter-subset zero-correlation enables performance improvement during application of the proposed sequence set.

We develop an effective algorithm, based on the filtered backprojection (FBP) approach, for the imaging of vegetation. Under the FBP scheme, the reconstruction amounts at a non-trivial Fourier inversion, since the data are Fourier samples arranged on a non-Cartesian grid. The computational issue is efficiently tackled by Non-Uniform Fast Fourier Transforms (NUFFTs), whose complexity grows asymptotically as that of a standard FFT. Furthermore, significant speed-ups, as compared to fast CPU implementations, are obtained by a parallel versions of the NUFFT algorithm, purposely designed to be run on Graphic Processing Units (GPUs) by using the CUDA language. The performance of the parallel algorithm has been assessed in comparison to a CPU-multicore accelerated, Matlab implementation of the same routine, to other CPU-multicore accelerated implementations based on standard FFT and employing linear, cubic, spline and sinc interpolations and to a different, parallel algorithm exploiting a parallel linear interpolation stage. The proposed approach has resulted the most computationally convenient. Furthermore, an indoor, polarimetric experimental setup is developed, capable to isolate and introduce, one at a time, different non-idealities of a real acquisition, as the sources (wind, rain) of temporal decorrelation. Experimental far-field polarimetric measurements on a thuja plicata (western redcedar) tree point out the performance of the set up algorithm, its robustness against data truncation and temporal decorrelation as well as the possibility of discriminating scatterers with different features within the investigated scene.

This paper provides conceptual and experimental analysis of a new approach in the study of kanji, our “Learner's Visualization (LV) Approach”. In a previous study we found that the LV Approach assists beginning learners in significantly updating their personal kanji deconstruction visualization. Additionally, in another study our findings provided evidence that beginning learners also receive a significant impact in the ability to acquire vocabulary. In this study, our research problem examines how beginning and intermediate students use visualization to cognitively deconstruct (divide) kanji in different ways, and how this affects their learning progress. We analyze the cognitive differences in how kanji learners explore and deconstruct novel kanji while using the LV Approach and how these differences affect their learning process while using the LV Approach. During the learning experience, our LILES System (Learner's Introspective Latent Envisionment System), based on the LV Approach, guides learners to choose from a set of possible “kanji deconstruction layouts” (layouts showing different ways in which a given kanji can be divided). The system then assists learners in updating their “kanji deconstruction level” (the average number of parts they visualize within kanji according to their current abilities). Statistical analysis based on achieved performance was conducted. The analysis of our results proves that there are cognitive differences: beginners deconstruct kanji into more parts (“blocks”) than intermediate learners do, and while both improve their kanji deconstruction scores, there is a more significant change in “kanji deconstruction level” in beginners. However, it was also found that intermediate learners benefit more in “kanji retention score” compared with beginners. Suggestions for further research are provided.

This paper proposes a proactive management system for the events that occur across multiple personal user devices, including desktop PCs, laptops, and smart phones. We implemented the Personal Event Management Service using Dynamic Bayesian Networks (PEMS-DBN) system that proactively executes appropriate tasks across multiple devices without explicit user requests by recognizing the user's device reuse intention, based on the observed actions of the user for specific devices. The client module of PEMS-DBN installed on each device monitors the user actions and recognizes user intention by using dynamic Bayesian networks. The server provides data sharing and maintenance for the clients. A series of experiments were performed to evaluate user satisfaction and system accuracy, and also the amounts of resource consumption during intention recognition and proactive execution are measured to ensure the system efficiency. The experimental results showed that the PEMS-DBN system can proactively provide appropriate, personalized services with a high degree of satisfaction to the user in an effective and efficient manner.

We proposed and analyzed a fiber-reinforced ceramic (FRC) composite for a protection layer on top of an antenna mounted on the outer surface of aircraft. The manufactured FRC is a single-layered flat construct. To analyze the performance of the FRC, we extracted the material constant using the transmission/reflection (T/R) method. We described the relation between the pressure and strength of the FRC radome with respect to mechanical properties and analyzed the insertion loss with respect to electrical properties. We evaluated the characteristics of the FRC radome in conjunction with the horn antenna and showed that the analytic results for the FRC radome agree with the experiment results.

In (k,n) threshold scheme, Tompa and Woll considered a problem of cheaters who try to make another participant reconstruct an invalid secret. Later, some models of such cheating were formalized and lower bounds of the size of share were shown in the situation of fixing the maximum successful cheating probability to ε. Some efficient schemes in which size of share is equal to the lower bound were also proposed. Let |S| be the field size of the secret. Under the assumption that cheaters do not know the distributed secret, these sizes of share of previous schemes which can work for ε > 1/|S| are somewhat larger than the bound. In this paper, we show the bound for this case is really tight by constructing a new scheme. When distributing uniform secret, the bit length of share in the proposed scheme is only 1 bit longer than the known bound. Further, we show a tighter bound of the size of share in case of ε < 1/|S|.

A micro-power active-RFID LSI with an all-digital RF-transmitting scheme achieves experimental 10-m-distance communication with a 1-Mbps data rate in the 300-MHz frequency band. The IC consists of an RF transmitter and a power supply circuit. The RF transmitter generates wireless signals without a crystal. The power supply circuit controls the energy flow from the battery to the IC and offers intermittent operation of the RF transmitter. The IC draws 1.6 µA from a 3.4-V supply and is implemented in a 0.2-µm CMOS process in an area of 1 mm2. The estimated lifetime of the IC is over ten years with a coin-size battery.

Digital delta-sigma modulators (DDSMs) applied in fractional-N frequency synthesizers suffer from spurious tones which undermine the synthesizer's spectral purity. We propose a solution featuring no hardware overhead while achieving equivalent spur elimination effect as using LFSR-dithering. This method can be implemented on MASH and single-loop DDSMs of 3rd- and 2nd-order.

An adaptive selective retransmission algorithm for video communications based on packet importance value is proposed. The algorithm can adaptively select the retransmission threshold in realtime and efficiently manage the retransmission process in heavy loaded networks while guaranteeing acceptable video quality at the receiver.

This paper proposes a technique for two-stage operational amplifiers (OPAMPs) to optimize power consumption according to various channel conditions of wireless communication systems. The proposed OPAMP has the ability of reducing the quiescent current of each stage independently by introducing additional common-mode feedback, therefore more optimization is possible according to the channel conditions than conventional two-stage OPAMPs. The simulations verify the benefits of the technique. As a proof-of-concept topology, the proposed OPAMPs were used in a channel-selection filter for a multi-standard mobile-TV receiver. The power consumption of the filter, 3.4–5.0 mW, was adjustable according to the bandwidth, the noise, and the jammer level. The performance of the filter meets the requirements and verifies the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The filter was fabricated in 0.18-µm CMOS and occupied 0.64 mm2.

We study the transmission techniques in orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems with imperfect channel state information at the transmitter (CSIT). We focus on the issue of utilizing the available CSIT by a single forward error control (FEC) code. We first analyze the system performance for the ideal coding case. We then develop a simple but efficient scheme for the practical coding case, which is based on joint FEC coding and linear precoding at the transmitter and iterative linear minimum-mean-square-error (LMMSE) detection at the receiver. Numerical results show that significant performances gains can be achieved by the proposed scheme.

This letter presents a new automatic musical genre classification method based on an informative song-level representation, in which the mutual information between the feature and the genre label is maximized. By efficiently combining distance-based indexing with informative features, the proposed method represents a song as one vector instead of complex statistical models. Experiments on an audio genre DB show that the proposed method can achieve the classification accuracy comparable or superior to the state-of-the-art results.

In this paper, we propose a framework of connectivity analysis for aviation ad hoc networks on flight paths. First, a general analytical connectivity model for the common one-dimensional ad hoc network is newly developed. Then it is applied for modeling the connectivity of ad hoc networks among aircraft along flight paths where aircraft arrival process follows a Poisson distribution. Connectivity is expressed in terms of connectedness probability of two nodes in the network, connected distance, and network coverage extension factor. An exact closed form derivation of connectedness probability is proposed. The radical effect of mobility on the network connectedness of aircraft over a single flight path is analyzed. The network connectedness probability depends on node density and node distribution, which are derived from node arrival rate and node velocity. Based on these results, the proposed model is extended to the practical case of paths with multi-velocity air traffic classes. Using this model, the critical values of system parameters for the network of aircraft with certain connectivity requirements can be derived. It helps to evaluate network extension capability under the constraints of various system parameters.

This paper addresses the problem of sensor selection in wireless sensor networks (WSN) subject to a distortion constraint. To do so, first, a cost function is derived based on the spatial correlation obtained using the best estimation of the event source. Then, a new adaptive algorithm is proposed in which the number of active sensors is adaptively determined and the best topology of the active set is selected based on the add-one-sensor-node-at-a-time method. Simulations results show that the active sensors selected using the proposed cost function have less event distortion. Also, it is shown that the proposed sensor selection algorithm is near optimum and it has better performance than other algorithms with regard to the computational burden and distortion.