A fast pitch search algorithm using the skipping technique is proposed to reduce the computation time in CELP vocoder. Based on the characteristics of the correlation function of speech signal, the proposed algorithm skips over certain ranges in the full pitch search range in a simple way. Though the search range is reduced, high speech quality can be maintained since those lags having high correlation values are not skipped over and are used for search by closed-loop analysis. To improve the efficiency of the proposed method, we develop three variants of the skipping technique. The experimental results show that the proposed and the modified algorithm can reduce the computation time in the pitch search considerably, over 60% reduction compared with the traditional full search method.

Co-Zr and Co-Zr-Ta amorphous films were prepared by the Kr sputtering method for use as the backlayers of Co-Cr perpendicular magnetic recording tape media. The effect of the addition of Ta to Co-Zr thin films was also investigated. Lower substrate temperature was required to prepare amorphous Co-Zr films with excellent soft magnetic properties. The relationships among Ta content X, magnetostriction constant λ and magnetic characteristics such as coercivity Hc and relative permeability µr were clarified. A method of evaluating λ of soft magnetic thin films deposited on polymer sheet substrate has been presented. Films with composition of (Co95.7Zr4.3) 100-X TaX at X of 10 at.% possessed sufficiency soft magnetic properties such as low Hc below 80 A/m and high µr above 600. Addition of Ta was effective in changing change the sign of λ from positive to negative. It was found that the negative magnetoelastic energy and the smaller λ caused the soft magnetism.

Ba ferrite films were deposited epitaxially on ZnO underlayer from targets with composition of BaO-6.5Fe2O3 at substrate temperature of 600 using the facing targets sputtering apparatus. The gas mixture of Ar and Xe of 0.18 Pa and O2 of 0.02 Pa was used as the sputtering gas and the dependences of crystallographic and magnetic characteristics on the partial Xe pressure PXe(0.0-0.18 Pa) were investigated. Films deposited at various PXe were composed of BaM ferrite and spinel crystallites, and the minimum centerline average roughness Ra of 8.3 nm was obtained at PXe of 0.10 Pa. Since saturation 4πMs of 5.1 kG and perpendicular anisotropy constant Ku1 of 4.23105 Jm-3 were larger than those of bulk BaM ferrite of 4.8 kG and 3.30105 Jm-3, respectively, these films appeared promising for use as perpendicular recording media.

Generalizations of the classical ngram indexing techique provide a powerful tool for the fast retrieval of tree structures. We investigate the special case of binary trees, which are heavily used, for example, in computer linguistics: Given a database T{t1,...,tn} of labeled binary trees and a query tree q, find efficiently all trees t T that contain q as subtree. For supporting queries of this type, we propose an indexing technique that covers the database trees t T with smaller trees of a fixed calss. Thus, each index record represents a subtree that is contained in at least one database tree. To answer a given query q, the database trees of T that contain all of q's cover trees are preselected as candidates, which in turn are tested rigorously for containment of q. We present results from two test suites: one with databases of 10,000 randomly generated binary trees each and one with the 29,394 most extensive phrase structure trees found in the morphosyntactical analysis of the Old Testament's Hebrew texts Genesis, Exodus,and Leviticus.

One of the major open issues in neural network research includes a Network Designing Problem (NDP): find a polynomial-time procedure that produces minimal structures (the minimum intermediate size, thresholds and synapse weights) of multilayer threshold feed-forward networks so that they can yield outputs consistent with given sample sets of input-output data. The NDP includes as a sub-problem a Network Training Problem (NTP) where the intermediate size is given. The NTP has been studied mainly by use of iterative algorithms of network training. This paper, making use of both rate distortion theory in information theory and linear algebra, solves the NDP mathematically rigorously. On the basis of this mathematical solution, it furthermore develops a mathematical solution Procedure to the NDP that computes the minimal structure straightforwardly from the sample set. The Procedure precisely attains the minimum intermediate size, although its computational time complexity can be of non-polynomial order at worst cases. The paper also refers to a polynomial-time shortcut to the Procedure for practical use that can reach an approximately minimum intermediate size with its error measurable. The shortcut, when the intermediate size is pre-specified, reduces to a promising alternative as well to current network training algorithms to the NTP.

We propose a new high-performance message router for k-ary n-cube multicomputer systems, called the Tokky router. The router utilizes a small number of queues at the outputs of its communication ports to allow fully adaptive routing, misrouting to prevent deadlocks and randomization to prevent livelock. Uncongeste network performance is improved by the inclusion of the packet expressway. Accurate models are developed to predict the switch and buffer performance of routers for varying radix and dimension and these models can be used in the design of routers for networks other than those investigated here. The simulated performance of the router exceeds that of published results for oblivious routers and is equal to or exceeds those reported for other adaptive routers. These performance predictions are especially encouraging when the simplicity of the control structures required to implement the router are taken into consideration.

A new algorithm for multiple-precision modular multiplication is proposed. It is fast and uses a small amount of main memory, and hence, is useful for application of a public-key cryptosystem to small computers, such as card computers.

The integration of both real-time systems and fault-tolerant systems has been emerged as one of the greatest challenges of this decade. It is called a responsive system, which has the objective to optimeze both timeliness and reliability. The performance measure in responsive systems is responsiveness that tells how probable a system executes correctly on time with faults occurred. While there have been some achievements in communication protocols and specification, we believe that scheduling problems in responsive systems are not understood deeply and sufficiently, yet. In this paper, we discuss the scheduling problem in responsive systems. At first, we investigate the issues in the scheduling and propose the precise definition of the responsiveness. We also suggest a scheduling algorithm called Responsive Earliest Deadline First (REDF) for preemptive aperiodic tasks in a uniprocessor system. We show that REDF is optimal to obtain the maximum responsiveness, and the time complexity is analyzed to be (N 2N). By illustrating a contradictory example, it is shown that REDF can be enhanced if a constraint on tasks is released.

In this paper, a new optimum input encoding algorithm with m-out-of-2m code which is called Half-Hot Code is presented. By applying Half-Hot Code to the input encoding in PLA-based digital system, the logic functions of the system turn out to be unate functions, thus, the number of bit-lines of PLA may be reduced. The proposed method further reduces the number of product-lines of PLA optimally. In this code assignment procedure, computed Boolean subspaces satisfying suggeset two conditions are assigned to each partitioned subset of digital input variables which are obtained by disjoint minimization or other techniques. As an experiment to evaluate the method, the state assignment for finite state machines of two-lavel implementation is considered. Specifically, the proposed Half-Hot Code assignment is compared with arbitrary Half-Hot Code assignment. The results show that the optimum encoding is superior to an arbitrary assignment up to about 24% in the number of product-lines of PLA.

Information capture is a very desirable and important function in portable computers. The "Multimedia Notebook" is a portable tool for capturing information in multimedia format, which includes photos, voice, and handwritten memos. Recent portable units, sometimes called PDA (Personal Digital Assistants) or Communicators, have PIM (Personal Information Manager) software and some communication facility. Their purpose is to enlarge the desktop environment to follow the user outside the office. This is one application of portable equipment, however we felt that hand-held equipment can also be used for more general information capture. In the past, information capture was limited, because people had to carry bulky equipment to the information source. Recent portable computers that have the capability to handle still and motion pictures, voice, and handwritten drawings allow the implementation of more information capture capabilities. Capture of handwritten notes has already been implemented on portable equipment like PDAs. However, this application doesn't make the most of its potential. We feel that the Multimedia Notebook should integrate handwritten memos with pictures and voice. The advantage is that users can capture what they watch and hear easily in a variety of media for later review. The information in each medium complements the others. When arranging the recorded information, it is easy to use each medium efficiently. We have examined the human interface and designed it for user-friendliness and to be comparable to pen and paper. The prototypes also have a capture buffer which can operate continuously to capture voice and pictures that would otherwise be lost because of the user's delay in starting to record.

The pendulum equation with a periodic impulsive force is investigated. This model described by a second order differential equation is also derived from dynamics of the stepping motor. In this paper, firstly, we analyze bifurcation phenomena of periodic solutions observed in a generalized pendulum equation with a periodic impulsive force. There exist two topologically different kinds of solution which can be chaotic by changing system parameters. We try to stabilize an unstable periodic orbit embedded in the chaotic attractor by small perturbations for the parameters. Secondly, we investigate the intermittent drive characteristics of two-phase hybrid stepping motor. We suggest that the unstable operations called pull-out are caused by bifurcations. Finally, we proposed a control method to avoid the pull-out by changing the repetitive frequency and stepping rate.

In this paper a priori estimation method is presented for calculating solution of convex optimization problems (COP) with some equality and/or inequality constraints by so-called Newton type homotopy method. The homotopy method is known as an efficient algorithm which can always calculate solution of nonlinear equations under a certain mild condition. Although, in general, it is difficult to estimate a priori computational complexity of calculating solution by the homotopy method. In the presented papers, a sufficient condition is considered for linear homotopy, under which an upper bound of the complexity can be estimated a priori. For the condition it is seen that Urabe type convergence theorem plays an important role. In this paper, by introducing the results, it is shown that under a certain condition a global minimum of COP can be always calculated, and that computational complexity of the calculation can be a priori estimated. Suitability of the estimation for analysing COP is also discussed.

We have developed a 15-Gbit/s 96-gate Si-bipolar gate array using 0.5-µm Si-bipolar technology, a sophisticated internal cell design, an I/O buffer design suitable for high-speed operation and high-frequency package technology. The decision circuit and 4 : 1 multiplexer fabricated on the gate array operate up to 15-Gbit/s and above 10-Gbit/s respectively. The data input sensitivity and the phase margin of the decision circuit are 53 mVpp and 288 at 10-Gbit/s operation. This gate array promises to be useful in shortening the development period and lowering cost of 10-Gbit/s class IC's.

The throughput performance of the non-persistent carrier sense spread spectrum with overload detection (NP-CSSS/OD) protocol is analysed and compared with that of the conventional non-persistent and one-persistent carrier sense multiple access with collision detection (NP-CSMA/CD and 1P-CSMA/CD) and the one-persistent carrier sense spread spectrum with overload detection (1P-CSSS/OD) protocols. We also introduced utilization measurements and did some performance comparisons between these protocols. At high offered loads, the NP-CSSS/OD protocol is found to offer the best throughput and utilization performances amongst them.

Information systems to support cooperative work among people should be first designed to help humam communication. However, there are few systems based on the analysis of human communication. Standing on this situation, we propose a meeting support system for the participants' understandings by indicating the suitable information about the topic of the scene". Our system provides only useful information by monitoring each statement without complex methods. To show something useful multi-media information for members, we propose the following structure of the meeting on the basis of the analysis of communication. Each statement is classified into two levels, either; a statement about the progress" of the meeting (context-level utterances) or, a statement about objects" (content-level utterances). Further, content-level utterances are classified into two types, position utterances and argument utterances. Using this classification of statements, the proceeding of the meeting is represented as the tree model which is called a context-tree". If the structure of meetings is fixed, it is possible to select only useful information from all shared information for members by analyzing each content-level utterance. The system introduced in this paper shows appropriate multi-media information about the topic of the scene" by using the above model. We have implemented a prototype system based on the above ideas. Moreover, we have mode some experiments to show the effectiveness of this system. Those results show that our method is effective to improve the productivity" of meetings.

We have designed and implemented a simple yet powerful declarative synchronization mechanism for a paralle object-oriented computation model. The mechanism allows the user to control multiple message reception, specify the order of message reception, lock an invocation, and specify relations as invocation constraints. It has been included in a parallel object-oriented language, called A-NETL. The compiler and operating system have been developed on a total architecture, A-NET (Actors NETwork). The experimental results show that (i) the mechanism allows the user to model asynchronous events naturally, without losing the integrity of described programs; (ii) the replacement of the mechanism with the user's code requires tedious descriptions, but gains little performance enhancement, and certainly loses program readability and integrity; (iii) the mechanism allows the user to shift synchronous programs to asynchronous ones, with a scalable reduction of execution times: an average 20.6% for 6 to 17 objects and 46.1% for 65 objects. These prove the effectiveness of the proposed synchronization mechanism.

A deterministic pushdown automaton (dpda) having just one stack symbol is called a deterministic restricted one-counter automaton (droca). A deterministic one-counter automaton (doca) is a dpda having only one stack symbol, with the exception of a bottom-of-stack marker. The class of languages accepted by droca's which accept by final state is a proper subclass of the class of languages accepted by doca's. Valiant has proved the decidability of the equivalence problem for doca's and the undecidability of the inclusion problem for doca's. Hence the decidability of the equivalence problem for droca's is obvious. In this paper, we evaluate the upper bound of the length of the shortest input string (witness) that disproves the inclusion for a pair of real-time droca's which accept by final state, and present a new direct branching algorithm for checking the inclusion for a pair of languages accepted by these droca's. Then we show that the worst-case time complexity of our algorithm is polynomial in the size of these droca's.

This paper investigates the accepting powers of one-way alternatiog finite automata with counters and stack-counters (lafacs's) which operate in realtime. (The difference between counter" and stack-counter" is that the latter can be entered without the contents being changed, but the former cannot.) For each k0 and l0 ((k, l)(0, 0)), let 1AFACS(k, l, real) denote the class of sets accepted by realtime one-way alternating finite automata with k counters and l stack-counters, and let 1UFACS(k, l, real) (1NFACS(k, l, real)) denote the class of sets accepted by realtime one-way alternating finite automata with k counters and l stack-counters which have only universal (existential) states. We first investigate a relationship among the accepting powers of realtime lafacs's with only universal states, with only existential states, and with full alternation, and show, for example, that for each k0 and l0 ((k, l)(0, 0)), 1UFACS(k, l, real) 1NFACS(k, l, real) 1AFACS(k, l, real). We then investigate hierarchical properties based on the number of counters and stack-counters, and show, foe example, that for each k0 and l0 ((k, l)(0, 0)), and each X{U, N}, 1XFACS(k1, l, real)1AFACS(k, l, real)φ. We finally investigate a relationship between counters and stack-counters, and show, for example, that for each k0, l0 and m1, and each X{U, N}, 1XFACS(k, lm, real)1AFACS(k2m1, l, real)φ.

A description language for matrix and vector expressions and its compiler for DSPs are shown. They provide both a user-friendly programming environment and efficient codes. In order to increase throughput and to reduce amount of methods based on mathematical laws are introduced. A method to decide the matrix and vector storage location suitable for processing on DSP is also proposed.

Data flow is a paradigm for concurrent computations in which a collection of parallel processes communicate asynchronously. For nondeterministic data flow networks many semantic models have been defined, however, it is complex to reason about the semantics of a network. In this paper, we introduce a transformation between data flow networks and the LOTOS specification language to make available theories and tools developed for process algebras for the semantic analysis based on traces of the networks. The transformation does not establish a one-to-one mapping between the traces of a data flow network and the LOTOS specification, but maps each network in a specification which usually contains more traces. The obtained system specification has the same set of traces as the corresponding network if they are finite, otherwise also non fair traces are included. Formal analysis and verification methods can still be applied to prove properties of the original data flow network, allowing in case of networks with finite traces to prove also network equivalence.