The general public is expected to demand in not too distant future instituting more stringent certification procedures for computing parts of traditional and new-generation safety-critical application systems. Such quality-of-service (QoS) certification processes will not and can not rely solely on the testing approach. Design-time guaranteeing of timely service capabilities of various subsystems is an inevitable part of such processes. Although some promising developments in this area have been occurring in recent years, the technological challenges yet to be overcome are enormous. This paper is a summary of the author's perspective on the remaining challenges and promising directions for tackling them.

A fast winner search method for VQ based on 2-pixel-merging sum pyramid is proposed in order to reject a codeword at an earlier stage to reduce the computational burden. The necessary search scope of promising codewords is meanwhile narrowed by using sorted real sums. The high search efficiency is confirmed by experimental results.

A brain-computer interface using an electroencephalogram as input into an artificial neural network is investigated as a potentially general control system applicable to all subjects and time frames. Using the intent and imagination of bending the left or right elbow, the left and right desired movements are successfully distinguished using event-related desynchronization resolved by fast Fourier transformation of the electroencephalogram and analysis of the power spectrum using the artificial neural network. The influence of age was identified and eliminated through the use of a frequency distribution in the α band, and the recognition rate was further improved by confirmation based on forced excitement of the β band in the case of an error. The proposed system was effectively trained for general use by using the combined data of a cross-section of subjects.

Bit error rate estimation of the LEO satellite channel is presented. Since it could hardly be expressed the bit error rate under the practical degradation factors in a closed form, the method to predict the bit error rate using the known moments of the degradation factors is employed. The numerical example in this analysis is provided, especially, under the effects of Traveling Wave Tube Amplifier (TWTA) nonlinearity, fading effect and intersymbol interference (ISI). Under Ricean fading channel model, in the LEO environment, the result shows the system performance is worse and couldn't be used for voice communication when the LEO satellite is located at a lower elevation angle (EL). Besides, the degradation of the effect of ISI is more prominent when the LEO satellite is located at a higher EL.

Self-organizing map is a widely used tool in high-dimensional data visualization. However, despite its benefits of plotting very high-dimensional data on a low-dimensional grid, browsing and understanding the meaning of a trained map turn to be a difficult task -- specially when number of nodes or the size of data increases. Though there are some well-known techniques to visualize SOMs, they mainly deals with cluster boundaries and they fail to consider raw information available in original data in browsing SOMs. In this paper, we propose our Factor controlled Hierarchical SOM that enables us select number of data to train and label a particular map based on a pre-defined factor and provides consistent hierarchical SOM browsing.

Accurately segmenting and quantifying pulmonary nodule structure is a key issue in three-dimensional (3-D) computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) schemes. This paper presents a nodule segmentation method from 3-D thoracic CT images based on a deformable surface model. In this method, first, a statistical analysis of the observed intensity is performed to measure differences between the nodule and other regions. Based on this analysis, the boundary and region information are represented by boundary and region likelihood, respectively. Second, an initial surface in the nodule is manually set. Finally, the deformable surface model moves the initial surface so that the surface provides high boundary likelihood and high posterior segmentation probability with respect to the nodule. For the purpose, the deformable surface model integrates the boundary and region information. This integration makes it possible to cope with inappropriate position or size of an initial surface in the nodule. Using the practical 3-D thoracic CT images, we demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

In order to investigate the sensitivity of fast frequency hopping-multiple access (FFH-MA) systems due to the frequency offset under Rician fading, we evaluate the bit error rate (BER) performance of the FFH-MA system using noncoherent M-ary frequency shift keying (FSK) with the hard decision decoding and the majority logic decision. Numerical results show that for satisfying the BER performance of 10-5 at a given normalized frequency offset of 0.2, the additional signal to noise ratio (SNR) of about 4 dB is required with the 8-ary FSK signaling compared to the case of the perfect frequency synchronization. While the frequency offset increases at a given SNR, the BER is more severely degraded, and subsequently, the BER performance is saturated at the normalized frequency offset of 0.5 regardless of fading environments. For the SNRs of more than 15 dB, the threshold level of the receiver suffering from normalized frequency offsets of less than 0.4 should be larger than that of the perfectly frequency synchronized receiver.

The bit error rate (BER) for an uplink multicell multicarrier code-division multiple-access (MC-CDMA) system in Nakagami-m fading channels is derived and expressed in the form of a single integral. The result is obtained without the approximation for the ratio of the interference power from other-cell to the power from the user-of-interest. Numerical results demonstrate the impacts of other-cell interference and power control errors on the BER.

This paper newly proposes a hollow ferrite waveguide which consists of a microstrip line loaded on two ferrite slabs with adjacent air gap. Dispersion relation of magnetostatic surface wave in the waveguide is derived by the two dimensional analysis, and reciprocal behavior for parallel bias magnetic field and nonreciprocal behavior for antiparallel bias magnetic field are shown. Propagation characteristic of magnetostatic surface wave in the hollow ferrite waveguide are experimentally demonstrated under both parallel and antiparallel bias magnetic field directions. Strong nonreciprocal behavior in the hollow guide was found for case of antiparallel bias field configuration. These experimental results are mostly in agreement with the dispersion diagram. A nonreciprocal four port junction is demonstrated as an application of the hollow ferrite waveguide.

The frequency dependence of surface resistance Rs of high temperature superconductor (HTS) films are measured by a novel measurement method using four TE0mp modes in a sapphire rod resonator. At first, a loss tangent tan δ of the sapphire rod and Rs of the HTS films are evaluated separately from the results measured for the TE021 and TE012 modes with close resonant frequencies. Secondly, Rs values at two different resonant frequencies for the TE011 and TE022 modes are measured using a well-known relation for sapphire tan δ/f = constant, where f is a frequency. Rs values of HoBa2Cu3O7-x thin films were measured in the frequency range of 10 to 43 GHz by using four sapphire rod resonators with different sizes. As a result, it is found that these measured results of Rs have a characteristic of frequency square.

The new hybrid antenna structures having external high-impedance-plane (HIP) shield are proposed. These antennas consist of normal patch or dipole antenna, working as a radiator, and HIP shield working as a reflector. The external HIP shield helps to reduce the undesired backward radiation. Generally, metal shield should be placed a quarter wavelengths apart from the antenna, but HIP shield can be placed close to the antenna and low profile structure can be obtained. In addition, compared with single-layer HIP antennas, having a patch surrounded by HIP structure, these hybrid antennas have the advantage of installation because the shielding effect can be obtained by attaching the external shield under the existing antenna. We fabricated HIP boards and combined with a microstrip patch or a regular dipole. The hybrid patch antenna with HIP shield improves the front-to-back radiation ratio (F/B ratio) similar to the single-layer HIP antenna or the hybrid patch with metal shield. But the dipole antenna with HIP shield, the F/B ratio is worse than the dipole with metal shield. These results indicate the TM mode antenna is suitable for the HIP shield in terms of the F/B ratio improvement.

It is still an open question whether software agents should be personified in the interface. In order to study the effects of faces and facial expressions in the interface, a series of experiments was conducted to compare subjects' responses to and evaluation of different faces and facial expressions. The experimental results obtained demonstrate that: 1) personified interfaces help users engage in a task, and are well suited for an entertainment domain; 2) people's impressions of a face in a task are different from ones of the face in isolation. Perceived intelligence of a face is determined not by the agent's appearance but by its competence; 3) there is a dichotomy between user groups which have opposite opinions about personification. Thus, agent-based interfaces should be flexible to support the diversity of users' preferences and the nature of tasks.

Recently, diverse multimedia applications with stringent multiple Quality of Service (QoS) requirements have been increasing. In particular, multicast communication has become more popular because of its availability and for efficient use of network resources. Most multicasts are point-to-multipoint, in which a source delivers data to multiple designated recipients, such as for video or audio distribution. In the near future, multipoint-to-multipoint communication services, including multimedia collaborations such as video conferencing and distant-learning, will be developed. However, when a conventional multicast routing algorithm is applied to a multipoint-to-multipoint communication service, it might result in excessive traffic concentration on some links. Therefore, we propose a new multipoint-to-multipoint routing method. It utilizes the Fallback+ algorithm to perform multicast routing for the purpose of satisfying multiple QoS requirements and alleviating traffic concentrations. Simulation experiments show that our method improves traffic load balance and achieves efficient use of network resources.

The transmission quality in mobile wireless communication systems is affected by not only AWGN but also multi-path fading. Particularly, the Doppler frequency, the delay spread and the Rician factor have a great influence upon the quality over fading channels. This letter proposes the approximate equation for easily calculating the BER in DS-CDMA systems over multi-path fading channels. The validity of the approximate equation is confirmed from the fact that the BER calculated by the equation coincides with that by the computer simulation.

A nonlinear combiner random number generator is a general keystream generator for certain stream ciphers. The generator is composed of several linear feedback shift registers and a nonlinear function; the output is used as a keystream. A fast correlation attack is a typical attack for such keystream generators. Mihaljevi, Fossorier, and Imai have proposed an improved fast correlation attack. The attack is based on error correction of information bits only in the corresponding binary linear block code; APP threshold decoding is employed for the error correction procedure. In this letter, we propose a method which improves the success rate of their attacks with similar complexity. The method adds some intentional error to original parity check equations. Those equations are then used in APP threshold decoding.

The current paper presents an effective deblocking algorithm for block-based coded images using singularity detection in a wavelet transform. Blocking artifacts appear periodically at block boundaries in block-based coded images. The local maxima of a wavelet transform modulus detect all singularities, including blocking artifacts, from multiscale edges. Accordingly, the current study discriminates between a blocking artifact and an edge by estimating the Lipschitz regularity of the local maxima and removing the wavelet transform modulus of a blocking artifact that has a negative Lipschitz regularity exponent. Experimental results showed that the performance of the proposed algorithm was objectively and subjectively superior.

Multiple access interference and near-far effect cause the performance of the conventional single user detector in DS/CDMA systems to degrade. Due to high complexity of the optimum multiuser detector, suboptimal multiuser detectors with less complexity and reasonable performance have received considerable attention. In this paper we apply the classic and a new modified genetic algorithm for multiuser detection of DS/CDMA signals. It is shown that the classic genetic algorithm (GA) reaches an error floor at high signal to noise ratios (SNR) while the performance of proposed modified GA is much better than the classic one and is comparable to the optimum detector with much less complexity. The results hold true for AWGN and fading channels. We also describe another GA called as meta GA to find the optimum parameters of the modified GA. We compare the performance of proposed method with the other detectors used in CDMA.

Integration of the IP/MPLS network and the WDM optical mesh network is a promising approach to realizing an efficient backbone network. Because of the great volumes of traffic carried, the social cost incurred by a failure will be extremely high, so survivability is very important in the backbone network. In survivable IP/MPLS over WDM backbone networks, cooperation of the optical level fault recovery and the IP/MPLS level fault recovery is essential. This paper analyzes cost characteristics of the optical level fault recovery and the IP/MPLS level fault recovery. A mathematical programming method is proposed to minimize the initial network cost when the IP/MPLS level fault recovery is utilized in the survivable IP/MPLS over WDM networks. Using this method, the initial network cost needed for the IP/MPLS level fault recovery is compared with that for the optical level fault recovery. The initial network cost for the LSP (Label Switched Path) protection scheme is smaller than that for the shared light-path protection scheme and larger than that for the pre-plan type light-path restoration scheme. The LSP protection scheme is suitable for the best-effort type traffic while the shared light-path protection scheme may be suitable for the bandwidth guaranteed type traffic.

A new approach to correcting the array amplitude failure by a combination of B-spline techniques and genetic algorithms is proposed. Some array elements indicate the control knots for a B-spline curve by their nominal positions and amplitudes; others distribute the excitation amplitudes according to the sampling points on the curve. The inherent smoothness of the B-spline curves reduce the effect of excessive coupling between adjacent elements. Genetic algorithms are used to search for a quasi-optimized B-spline curve to produce the ultimate amplitude distribution for correcting the array failure. To demonstrate the method's effectiveness, simulation results for correcting failures with three- and four-element failures are presented.

It is shown that the glass structure change is a simple and widely applicable method to modify refractive index locally in various glass fibers. A small part of a glass fiber is heated immediately to above its melt temperature by arc discharge, and then the molten fiber undergoes rapid cooling, which freezes the change of the glass structure. Therefore the refractive index of the fiber is decreased partially by the glass structure change induced by rapid solidification. The index reduction in a fiber fabricated from multicomponent glasses is estimated to be more than 0.006. To clarify that rapid solidification works for various glasses including silica glasses, long-period gratings are written in a standard telecommunication fiber with various discharge currents and times. The peak loss of more than 25 dB is obtained within only 6 periods. The index change can be adjusted by the discharge conditions. The gratings are not degraded by heating the whole gratings at 700C for 2 hours, and are highly temperature-stable. It is shown that resonance wavelengths can be tuned by controlling the heating temperature and heating time.