This paper deals with the scattering of TE plane wave from a periodic grating with single defect, of which position is known. The surface is perfectly conductive and made up with a periodic array of rectangular grooves and a defect where a groove is not formed. By use of the modal expansion method, the field inside grooves is expressed as a sum of guided modes with unknown amplitudes. The mode amplitudes are regarded as a sum of the base component and the perturbed component due to the defect, where the base component is the solution in case of the perfectly periodic grating. An equation for the base component is obtained in the first step. By use of the base component, a new equation for the perturbed component is derived in the second step. A new representation of the optical theorem, relating the total scattering cross section with the reduction of the scattering amplitude is obtained. Also, a single scattering approximation is proposed to express the scattered field. By use of truncation, we numerically obtain the base component and the perturbed component, in terms of which the total scattering cross section and the differential scattering cross section are calculated and illustrated in figures.

A method of testing distributed amplifiers is presented; multipath interference (MPI) is detected as a beat spectrum between a multipath signal and a direct signal using a frequency-modulated test signal. A test signal with an approximately 450 MHz frequency deviation at an 80 kHz modulation frequency is emitted from a directly modulated DFB-LD by a pulse stream passing through an equalizer. A receiver consisting of a photodiode and an electrical spectrum analyzer (ESA) detects a baseband power spectrum peak appearing at the frequency of the test signal frequency deviation. MPI is converted from the spectrum peak power using a calibration chart. The test method has decreased the minimum detectable MPI as low as -70 dB, compared with that of -50 dB of conventional test methods. The detailed design and performance of the proposed method are discussed, including the calibration procedure, computer simulations for evaluating systematic errors caused by the repetition rate of the frequency modulated test signal and the fiber length under test, and experiments on single-mode fibers and distributed Raman amplifiers.

Cryptosystems using pairing computation on elliptic curves have various applications including ID-based encryption ([19],[29],[30] etc.). Scott [33] proposed a scaling method of security by a change of the embedding degree k. On the other hand, he also presented an efficient pairing computation method on an ordinary (non-supersingular) elliptic curve over a large prime field Fp ([34]). In this paper, we present an implementation method of the pairing computation with both of the security scaling in [33] and the efficiency in [34]. First, we will investigate the mathematical nature of the set of the paremeter r (the order of cyclic group used) so as to support many k's. Then, based on it, we will suggest some modification to the algorithm of Scott in [34] to achieve flexible scalability of security level.

The UWB (ultra-wideband) pulse radar is a promising candidate as an environment measurement method for rescue robots. Radar imaging to locate a nearby target is known as an ill-posed inverse problem, on which various studies have been done. However, conventional algorithms require long computational time, which makes it difficult to apply them to real-time operations of robots. We have proposed a fast radar imaging algorithm, the SEABED algorithm, for UWB pulse radars. This algorithm is based on a reversible transform, BST (Boundary Scattering Transform), between the target shape and the observed data. This transform enables us to estimate target shapes quickly and accurately in a noiseless environment. However, in a noisy environment the image estimated by the SEABED algorithm is degraded because BST utilizes differential operations. We have also proposed an image stabilization method, which utilizes the upper bound of the smoothness of received data. This method can be applied only to convex objects, not to concave ones. In this paper, we propose a fractional BST, which is obtained by expanding the conventional BST, and an image stabilization method by using the fractional BST. We show that the estimated image can be stabilized regardless of the shape of target.

This paper studies the reduction among cyptographic functions. Our main result is that the prime factoring function IF does not reduce to the certified discrete logarithm function modulo a prime nor its variant with respect to some special reducibility, i.e. the range injection reducibility, under the assumption that the Heath-Brown conjecture is true and IFPF. Since there is no known direct relationship between these functions, this is the first result that could separate these functions. Our approach is based on the notion of the preimage functions.

This paper presents a fast elemental image generation algorithm, called the Viewpoint Vector Rendering (VVR), for the computer-generated integral imaging system. VVR produces a set of elemental images in real-time by assembling the segmented area of the directional scenes taken from a range of viewpoints. This algorithm is less affected by system factors such as the number of elemental lens and the number of polygons. It also supports all display modes of the integral imaging system, real, virtual and focused mode. This paper first describes the characteristics of integral imaging system. It then discusses the design, implementation, and performance evaluation of the VVR algorithm, which can be easily adapted to render the integral images of complex 3D objects.

Multimedia Wavelength Division Multiple Access (M-WDMA) specially designed to accommodate multimedia traffic is a well-known media access control (MAC) protocol. This paper extensively analyzes the throughput of M-WDMA. Specifically, this analysis considers a wide range of network conditions including varying traffic loads, probabilistic occupancy of time segment, various traffic distribution patterns (TDPs) and channel sharing methods (CSMs) under both symmetric and asymmetric traffic load patterns (TLPs). Thus, the analytic behavior of M-WDMA can be investigated for designing a WDMA network managing multimedia traffic under practical environments.

We propose a new construct, the Text-Graphics Character (TGC) CAPTCHA, for preventing dictionary attacks against password authentication systems allowing remote access via dumb terminals. Password authentication is commonly used for computer access control. But password authentication systems are prone to dictionary attacks, in which attackers repeatedly attempt to gain access using the entries in a list of frequently-used passwords. CAPTCHAs (Completely Automated Public Turing tests to tell Computers and Humans Apart) are currently being used to prevent automated "bots" from registering for email accounts. They have also been suggested as a means for preventing dictionary attacks. However, current CAPTCHAs are unsuitable for text-based remote access. TGC CAPTCHAs fill this gap. In this paper, we define two TGC CAPTCHAs and incorporate one of them in a prototype based on the SSH (Secure Shell) protocol suite. We also prove that, if a TGC CAPTCHA is easy for humans and hard for machines, then the resulting CAPTCHA is secure. We provide empirical evidence that our TGC CAPTCHAs are indeed easy for humans and hard for machines through a series of experiments. We believe that a system exploiting a TGC CAPTCHA will not only help improve the security of servers allowing remote terminal access, but also encourage a healthy spirit of competition in the fields of pattern recognition, computer graphics, and psychology.

Ring signature scheme enables a signer to sign a message anonymously. In the ring signature scheme, the signer who wants to sign a document anonymously first chooses some public keys of entities (signers) and then generates a signature which ensures that one of the signer or entities signs the document. In some situations, however, the ring signature scheme allows the signer to shift the blame to victims because of the anonymity. The group signature scheme may be a solution for the problem; however, it needs an electronic big brother, called a group manager, who can violate the signer anonymity by himself, and a complicated key setting. This paper introduces a new notion of a signature scheme with signer anonymity, a deniable ring signature scheme (DRS), in which no group manager exists, and the signer should be involved in opening the signer anonymity. We also propose a concrete scheme proven to be secure under the assumption of the DDH (decision Diffie Hellman) problem in the random oracle model.

It is known that for any general access structure, a secret sharing scheme (SSS) can be constructed from an (m,m)-threshold scheme by using the so-called cumulative map or from a (t,m)-threshold SSS by a modified cumulative map. However, such constructed SSSs are not efficient generally. In this paper, a new method is proposed to construct a SSS from a (t,m)-threshold scheme for any given general access structure. In the proposed method, integer programming is used to derive the optimal (t,m)-threshold scheme and the optimal distribution of the shares to minimize the average or maximum size of the distributed shares to participants. From the optimality, it can always attain lower coding rate than the cumulative maps because the cumulative maps cannot attain the optimal distribution in many cases. The same method is also applied to construct SSSs for incomplete access structures and/or ramp access structures.

ID-SP-M4M scheme means ID-based series-parallel multisignature schemes for multi-messages. In this paper, we investigate series-parallel multisignature schemes for multi-messages and propose an ID-SP-M4M scheme based on pairings in which signers in the same subgroup sign the same message, and those in different subgroups sign different messages. Our new scheme is an improvement over the series-parallel multisignature schemes introduced by Doi et al.[6]-[8] and subsequent results such as the schemes proposed by Burmester et al.[4] and the original protocols proposed by Tada [20],[21], in which only one message is to be signed. Furthermore, our ID-SP-M4M scheme is secure against forgery signature attack from parallel insiders under the BDH assumption.

In this paper, we present a modified genetic algorithm for solving combinatorial optimization problems. The modified genetic algorithm in which crossover and mutation are performed conditionally instead of probabilistically has higher global and local search ability and is more easily applied to a problem than the conventional genetic algorithms. Three optimization problems are used to test the performances of the modified genetic algorithm. Experimental studies show that the modified genetic algorithm produces better results over the conventional one and other methods.

This paper describes a method of free iris and focus image generation based on transformation integrating multiple differently focused images. First, we assume that objects are defocused by a geometrical blurring model. And we combine acquired images on certain imaging planes and spatial information of objects by using a convolution of a three-dimensional blur. Then, based on spatial frequency analysis of the blur, we design three-dimensional filters that generate free iris and focus images from the acquired images. The method enables us to generate not only an all-in-focus image corresponding to an ideal pin-hole iris but also various images, which would be acquired with virtual irises whose sizes are different from the original one. In order to generate a certain image by using multiple differently focused images, especially very many images, conventional methods usually analyze focused regions of each acquired image independently and construct a depth map. Then, based on the map, the regions are merged into a desired image with some effects. However, generally, it is so difficult to conduct such depth estimation robustly in all regions that these methods cannot prevent merged results from including visible artifacts, which decrease the quality of generated images awfully. In this paper, we propose a method of generating desired images directly and robustly from very many differently focused images without depth estimation. Simulations of image generation are performed utilizing synthetic images to study how certain parameters of the blur and the filter affect the quality of generated images. We also introduce pre-processing that corrects the size of acquired images and a simple method for estimating the parameter of the three-dimensional blur. Finally, we show experimental results of free iris and focus image generation from real images.

Our investigation of diamond-like carbon (DLC) nano-springs with a 130 nm spring-section diameter, which were fabricated by focused-ion-beam chemical vapor deposition (FIB-CVD), showed for the first time that nanosprings can be stretched. We observed large displacements of the FIB-CVD nanosprings using in situ optical microscopy; in other words, the nanosprings showed behavior similar to that of macroscale springs. In addition, we investigated the dependence of the spring constant of DLC nanosprings on spring diameter. The spring constants, measured using commercially available cantilevers, ranged from 0.47 to 0.07 N/m. The diameter dependence of spring constant can be accurately expressed by the conventional formula for a coil spring. The estimated shear modulus of the DLC nano-springs was about 70 GPa. This value is very close to the value of conventional coil springs made of steel. Furthermore, we measured the stiffness of a DLC nanospring annealed at 1000 in vacuum. The stiffness was decreased to approximately half of the stiffness of the nanospring without annealing.

A novel wideband bandpass filter with improved stopband characteristics is presented in this paper. Dual-mode square ring resonator is used in the proposed filter. New formulas based on the even- and odd-mode analysis are derived to facilitate the design of transmission zeros of the square ring resonator. A short-circuited stub and a piece of aperture-enhanced parallel-coupled lines are introduced to the input and output of the resonator to lower the passband return loss and widen the stopband of the filter significantly. The filter has a 50% fractional bandwidth, is compact in configuration, and shows remarkably improved performance compared with previously reported filters of the same kind. The measured filtering response shows a good agreement with the simulated result.

3G must offer high data rates since it should support real-time multimedia services; one performance enhancement, the use of the OVSF code tree, has adopted in 3G WCDMA networks. Unfortunately, this technique allows the link capacity to be set at the base rate times powers of two. This results in wasting bandwidth while the required rate is not powers of two of the basic rate. Several multi-code assignment mechanisms have been proposed to reduce the waste rate, but incur some drawbacks, including high complexity of handling multiple codes and increasing cost of using more rake combiners. Our solution is a dynamic grouping code assignment that allows any rate to be achieved with a single code for any possible rate of traffic. The dynamic grouping approach first forms several calls into a group. It then allocates a subtree to the group and dynamically shares the subtree codes based on time-sharing of slots within a group cycle time. The waste rate and code blocking is thus reduced significantly. Since transmission delay and jitter may occur in such a time-sharing approach, two schemes of cycle interleaving are proposed to minimize delay and jitter. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed approach reduces the waste rate and increases the system utilization obviously, and the proposed cycle interleaving schemes minimizes delay and jitter significantly.

In this paper, we propose a power-efficient LDPC decoder architecture based on an accelerated message-passing schedule. The proposed decoder architecture is characterized as follows: (i) Partitioning a pipelined operation not to read and write intermediate messages simultaneously enables the accelerated message-passing schedule to be implemented with single-port SRAMs. (ii) FIFO-based buffering reduces the number of SRAM banks and words of the LDPC decoder based on the accelerated message-passing schedule. The proposed LDPC decoder keeps a single message for each non-zero bit in a parity check matrix as well as a classical schedule while achieving the accelerated message-passing schedule. Implementation results in 0.18 [µm] CMOS technology show that the proposed decoder architecture reduces an area of the LDPC decoder by 43% and a power dissipation by 29% compared to the conventional architecture based on the accelerated message-passing schedule.

In this article, we considered the asymptotic expectations of the prediction error and the fitting error of a regression model, in which the component functions are chosen from a finite set of orthogonal functions. Under the least squares estimation, we showed that the asymptotic bias in estimating the prediction error based on the fitting error includes the true number of components, which is essentially unknown in practical applications. On the other hand, under a suitable shrinkage method, we showed that an asymptotically unbiased estimate of the prediction error is given by the fitting error plus a known term except the noise variance.

Combinatorial designs have been used to construct digital fingerprint codes. Here, a new constructive algorithm for an anticollusion fingerprint code based on group-divisible designs is presented. These codes are easy to construct and available for a large number of individuals, which is important from a business point of view. Group-divisible designs have not been used previously as a tool for fingerprint code construction.

This paper describes a flexible strategy to generate candidate answers for factoid questions in Question Answering (QA) systems. Most QA systems have predefined the conceptual categories for candidate answers. But if the conceptual category of answers to any question is not prepared in the QA system, it is hard to extract correct answers to that question. Therefore, we propose an extraction method for IS-A relation patterns which describe relations between the nominal target concepts of question and candidate answers. The extracted IS-A relation patterns can be used for questions with an unexpected target concept.