We demonstrate a novel fiber device exhibiting magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) and Faraday rotation in sharpened optical fibers coated with Fe. The degree of MCD was 0.68 in a magnetic field of 0.35 T and the Faraday rotation angle was as great as 110 degrees. Such great magneto-optical effect is due to optical near-field interactions in the sub-wavelength region, i.e., in the tip of the near-field fiber probe. These effects can be attributed to the large magnitude of the magneto optical coefficient of Fe.

This paper presents a wide frequency range delay-locked loop implemented with a 0.35 µm CMOS technology, which can overcome the limited frequency range and false lock problem of conventional delay-locked loop (DLL). The proposed simple DLL architecture comprising frequency and phase detector has better process-portability. The implemented DLL covers frequency range from 10 MHz to 200 MHz, which is limited only by the characteristics of delay cell. The DLL consumes 19.8 mW and shows 13 ps rms jitter at 3.3 V, 150 MHz condition.

To detect the theft of Java class files efficiently, we propose a concept of Java birthmarks, which are unique and native characteristics of every class file. For a pair of class files p and q, if q has the same birthmark as p's, q is suspected as a copy of p. Ideally, the birthmarks should satisfy the following properties: (a) preservation - the birthmarks should be preserved even if the original class file is tampered with, and (b) distinction - independent class files must be distinguished by completely different birthmarks. Taking (a) and (b) into account, we propose four types of birthmarks for Java class files. To show the effectiveness of the proposed birthmarks, we conduct three experiments. In the first experiment, we demonstrate that the proposed birthmarks are sufficiently robust against automatic program transformation (93.3876% of the birthmarks were preserved). The second experiment shows that the proposed birthmarks successfully distinguish non-copied files in a practical Java application (97.8005% of given class files were distinguished). In the third experiment, we exploit different Java compilers to confirm that the proposed Java birthmarks are core characteristics independent of compiler-specific issues.

To increase the number of the embedded secrets and to improve the quality of the stego-image in the vector quantization (VQ)-based information hiding scheme, in this paper, we present a novel information-hiding scheme to embed secrets into the side match vector quantization (SMVQ) compressed code. First, a host image is partitioned into non-overlapping blocks. For these seed blocks of the image, VQ is adopted without hiding secrets. Then, for each of the residual blocks, SMVQ or VQ is employed according to the smoothness of the block such that the proper codeword is chosen from the state codebook or the original codebook to compress it. Finally, these compressed codes represent not only the host image but also the secret data. Experimental results show that the performance of the proposed scheme is better than other VQ-based information hiding scheme in terms of the embedding capacity and the image quality. Moreover, in the proposed scheme, the compression rate is better than the compared scheme.

We present a design of knowledge circulation framework for quality of service (QoS) control of multimedia communication service (MCS). This framework aims to realizing user oriented and resource aware MCS by enabling effective placement of QoS control knowledge on the network. In this paper, we propose a conceptual design of the framework with knowledge-based multiagent system. In this framework, QoS control knowledge is actively circulated by getting on the agents. We implement a prototype of real-time bidirectional MCS (videoconference system) using this framework, and show initial experiment results using it to evaluate the effectiveness of the framework.

We propose a novel routing algorithm for reverse proxy servers, called load balancing content address hashing (LB-CAH), and evaluate the performance of the proposed routing algorithm compared with that of the content address hashing (CAH) and the hash and slide (HAS) routing algorithms. The proposed LB-CAH routing algorithm calculates the popularity of pages in the load balancer using an LFU caching technique and periodically makes a popularity list. Using this popularity list, the proposed routing algorithm selects a reverse proxy server as follows. When the requested page appears in the popularity list, the request is routed according to the round robin method; otherwise, it is routed according to the content address hashing method. We evaluate and compare the LB-CAH, CAH and HAS routing algorithms by simulation experiments from the viewpoints of load balancing, consumed cache space and cache hit rate. Simulation experiments show that the proposed LB-CAH routing algorithm achieves almost the same degree of load balancing as the HAS algorithm and the same cache hit rate as the CAH algorithm for reverse proxy servers in various web site environments.

The transient scattering characteristics of millimeter waves from a cylindrical object near a flat boundary were measured by the 50 GHz scatterometer to evaluate the multiple interactions of scattered waves with the objects and the boundary. Both perfectly conducting and dielectric cylinders are considered as a scattering object. The pulse intensities including waves scattered first from the object and then from the flat boundary or vice versa are shown to be significantly influenced by the distance from the object to the boundary, depending on the refractive index of the object. The observed higher order responses including the multiple scattering between the object and the boundary are also discussed. A preliminary comparison of the measured and calculated pulse responses for the perfectly conducting object is presented at slightly oblique incidence on a flat boundary.

In this paper, we present a novel iterative MPEG super-resolution method based on an embedded constraint version of Adaptive projected subgradient method [Yamada & Ogura 2003]. We propose an efficient operator that approximates convex projection onto a set characterizing framewise quantization, whereas a conventional method can only handle a convex projection defined for each DCT coefficient of a frame. By using the operator, the proposed method generates a sequence that efficiently approaches to a solution of super-resolution problem defined in terms of quantization error of MPEG compression.

In this paper, we present a minimum-maximum exclusive weighted-mean filtering algorithm with adaptive window. Image pixels within the varying size of the window are ranked and classified as minimum-maximum and median levels, and then passed through the weighted-mean of median level and identity filters, respectively. The filtering window size is adaptively increasing according to noise ratio without noise measurement. Extensive simulations show that the proposed filter performs better than other median/rank-type filters in removing impulse noise of highly corrupted images.

Flooding is usually utilized to find a multi-hop route toward a node which is not within transmission range. However, existing flooding schemes deteriorate the performance of network because of periodic message exchanges, frequent occurrence of collisions, and redundant packet transmission. To resolve the problem, a lightweight and novel flooding scheme is proposed in this paper. The scheme employs ongoing packets for constructing a cluster architecture as the existing on-demand clustering scheme. Unlike to the existing schemes, it makes use of unicast packet transmission to reduce the number of collisions and to find the flooding candidates easily. As a result, the proposed scheme yields fewer flooding nodes than other schemes. Simulation results prove that it causes fewer packet transmissions and fewer collisions than those of two other schemes.

We investigate the optimal chip rate of power or rate adapted direct-sequence code division multiple access (DS/CDMA) communication systems in Nakagami fading channels. We find that the optimal chip rate that maximizes the spectral efficiency depends upon both the channel parameters, such as multipath intensity profile (MIP) and line-of-sight (LOS) component, and the adaptation scheme itself. With the rate adaptation, the optimal chip rate is less than 1/Tm irrespective of the channel parameters, where Tm is multipath delay spread. This indicates that with the rate adaptation, correlation receiver achieves higher spectral efficiency than RAKE receiver. With the power adaptation, however, the optimal chip rate and the corresponding number of tabs in RAKE receiver are sensitive to MIP and LOS component.

Deflection routing is one of the promising approaches to resolve contention in the optical burst switching networks. In the conventional deflection routing scheme, optical bursts may be unable to traverse the route evaluated to select an outgoing link because of the contention at succeeding downstream transit nodes. As a result, the optical bursts may traverse a different route resulting in a long distance or decreased performance. This paper proposes a deflection routing scheme that considers the possibility of the contention at downstream nodes. This scheme utilizes the "expected route distance" instead of the static route distance toward a destination node. The expected route distance considers the possibility of contention at each downstream transit node and is calculated using measured link blocking probabilities at each downstream transit node. The selection priority of each outgoing link is given dynamically based on its expected route distance toward a destination node. By considering the possibility of contention at downstream nodes, a routing scheme with high performance can be realized. The loss rate of optical bursts is improved when an imbalanced load is applied to the network, and the loss rate of optical bursts is also improved when the network includes links with extremely different distances.

ERS-1/2 wind scatterometers (WSC) data sets may contain cells in which two, instead of three, measurements are available. These data sets are called incomplete. Operational inversion procedures discard such data sets and therefore no wind field is estimated. This is very limiting in semi-closed seas such as the Mediterranean Sea. In this paper we propose a new inversion procedure capable to retrieving near surface wind fields from incomplete data sets. This procedure is an enhancement of an algorithm already proposed and tested by the authors. A set of comprehensive experiments are presented and discussed. It is shown that the inversion procedure gets to remarkable results even in presence of a large number of doublets.

This paper proposes the design to reduce the number of fed elements by replacing with parasitic elements in an array antenna. The study depends on the analysis of electromagnetic wave fields in consideration of the coupling between the half-wavelength dipoles. The case of 2 fed elements and 2 parasitic elements is considered as a unit cell to form the total array. After optimizing the element arrangement, the antenna gain can match that of the equivalent 4-fed element case. Feeding networks in a high power radiating system are analyzed in terms of the length and matching of feed lines, and the arrangement of amplifiers.

The mobile agent paradigm is a promising technology to structure distributed applications. Since mobile agents physically move to a remote host that is under the control of a different principal, they need to be protected from this environment which is responsible for execution. In this paper, we provide a new cryptographic methodology of protecting mobile agents from unauthorized modification for the program code by malicious hosts.

In this paper, we present the method for identifying an Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Networks (ANFN) with Takagi-Sugeno-Kang (TSK) fuzzy type based on fuzzy granulation. We also develop a systematic approach to generating fuzzy if-then rules from a given input-output data. The proposed ANFN is designed by the use of fuzzy granulation realized via context-based fuzzy clustering. This clustering technique builds information granules in the form of fuzzy sets and develops clusters by preserving the homogeneity of the clustered patterns associated with the input and output space. The experimental results reveal that the proposed model yields a better performance in comparison with Linguistic Models (LM) and Radial Basis Function Networks (RBFN) based on context-based fuzzy clustering introduced in the previous literature for Box-Jenkins gas furnace data and automobile MPG prediction.

A side-coupled microstrip open-loop resonator is presented for design of harmonic-suppressed bandpass filters with compact size. In geometry, the open-ended microstrip feed line is put in close proximity to the loop resonator at the opposite side of an opened-gap. In design, its length is properly lengthened to establish the orthogonal even- and odd-symmetrical current distributions along the two coupled strip conductors. It thus results in cancellation the 1st parasitic resonance. The two-stage open-loop filter is first constructed and its performance is studied under varied feed line lengths. Furthermore, a four-stage filter block is optimally designed at 2.52 GHz and its circuit sample is fabricated with the overall length less than 60% of one guided wavelength. The measured insertion loss at the 1st harmonic is higher than 30 dB, the stopband covers the range from 2.8 GHz to 7.0 GHz, and the dominant pass bandwidth is about 9.0%.

In this paper, a refined analytic model is presented for the IEEE 802.11 distributed coordination function (DCF) in a time-varying channel environment. In the proposed model, the channel is modelled using a finite-state Markov (FSM) chain. The saturation throughput and average packet delay are analyzed from the proposed model. It is shown using OPNETTM and UltraSANTM simulations that the proposed model accurately predicts the performance of the IEEE 802.11 DCF.

Howling is very annoying problem to the hearing-aid users and it limits the maximum usable gain of hearing aids. We propose a new feedback cancellation system by inserting a time-varying decorrelation filter in the forward path. We use a second-order all-pass filter with control parameters whose time variation is implemented using a low-frequency modulator. A noticeable reduction of weight-vector misalignment is achievable using our proposed method.

In our former paper, we formalized a Logic of Multiple-valued Argumentation (LMA) on an expressive knowledge representation language, Extended Annotated Logic Programming (EALP), in order to make it possible to construct arguments under uncertain information. In this paper, We confirm expressivity and applicability by applying LMA to arguments reflecting Easterners' preference over argumentation as well as Eastern thought and philosophy. In doing so, we exploit a wide variety of complete lattices as truth-values, showing the flexibility and adaptability of LMA to various multiple-valuedness required in argumentation under uncertain information. In particular, we consider a significant specialization of LMA to Tetralemma with an Eastern mind. Through various argument examples, it is shown that LMA allows for a kind of pluralistic argumentation, or a fusion of Eastern and Western argumentation.