In recent years, the digitalization of transmission links, such as optical fibre cables, satellite links, and terrestrial microwave links, has been progressed rapidly in many countries. In addition, many types of digital studio equipment have been developed and TV programs can be produced or edited without any picture quality degradation by using such equipment, for example, digital VTR. A high-efficiency bit-reduction coding system is the most promising and effective means for this situation in terms of reducing the cost of digital transmission of TV programs with high picture quality. Considering this background, a new digital coding system has been developed, which makes it possible to transmit up to 4 NTSC TV programs simultaneously over a single DS3 45Mbps link including two high quality sound channels and one 64kbps ancillary data channel for each TV program. The principal bit-reduction technique employed is 2 dimensional intraframe WHT (Walsh Hadamard Transform) coding, which gives higher coding performance for composite TV signals than DCT (Discrete Cosine Transform) coding. In order to attain high picture quality at around 8Mbps for 4 channel transmission, a 3 dimensional adaptive quantization cube which reflects human visual perception sufficiently is employed in the intraframe WHT coding scheme. The hardware has been made compact like a home use VTR. In this paper, first, the algorithm of the coding scheme developed for the coding system is presented, and then the system configuration and its basic coding performance are described.

This paper describes a new evaluation technique for Si surfaces. A laser/microwave method using two lasers of different wavelengths for carrier injection is proposed to evaluate Si surfaces. With this evaluation system, the effect of impedance mismatching between the microwave probe and the Si wafer can be eliminated. These lasers used in this experiment are He-Ne (wavelength633 nm, penetration depth3 µm) and YAG lasers (wavelength1060 nm, penetration depth500 µm). Using a microwave probe, the amount of injected excess carriers can be detected. These carrier concentrations are mainly dependent on the condition of the surface, when carriers are excited by the He-Ne laser, and the condition of the bulk region, when carriers are excited by the YAG laser. We refer to microwave intensities detected by the He-Ne and YAG lasers as the surface-recombination-velocity-related microwave intensity (SRMI) and bulk-related microwave intensity (BRMI), respectively. We refer to the difference between SRMI and BRMI as relative SRMI (R-SRMI), which is closely related to the surface condition. A theoretical analysis is performed and several experiments are conducted to evaluate Si surfaces. It is found that the R-SRMI method is better suited to surface evaluation then conventional lifetime measurements, and that the rdliability and reproducibility of measurements are improved.

Efficient probabilistic decision trees are required in various application areas such as character recognition. This paper presents a polynomial-time approximate algorithm for designing a probabilistic decision tree. The obtained tree is near-optimal for the cost, defined as the weighted sum of the expected test execution time and expected loss. The algorithm is advantageous over other reported heuristics from the viewpoint that the goodness of the solution is theoretically guaranteed. That is, the relative deviation of the obtained tree cost from the exact optimum is not more than a positive constant ε, which can be set arbitrarily small. When the given loss function is Hamming metric, the time efficiency is further improved by using the information theoretical lower bound on the tree cost. The time efficiency of the algorithm and the accuracy of the solutions were evaluated through computational experiments. The results show that the computing time increases very slowly with an increase in problem size and the relative error of the obtained solution is much less than the upper bound ε for most problems.

An application of wavelength conversion laser diodes (WCLDs) to a photonic cross-connect system using wavelength-division (WD) technology is presented. We propose a novel WD photonic cross-connect node architecture with multiwavelength selective filters. By using the filters, we can construct a nonblocking cross-connect switch by 2-stage connection. Next we describe the requirements to the optical devices in our switch, especially to the wavelength conversion devices in configuring a multistage connection of our switch. Finally, we have conducted the wavelength switching experiments using our wavelength conversion laser diode at a bit rate of 125Mb/s and shown its applicability to a WD photonic cross-connect system with over 3,000 channels.

This paper presents a simple method for avoiding both numerical errors and degeneracy in an incremental-type algorithm for constructing the Voronoi diagram with respect to points on a plane. It is assumed that the coordinates of the given points are represented with a certain fixed number of bits. All the computations in the algorithm are carried out in four times higher precision, so that degeneracy can be discerned precisely. Every time degeneracy is found, the points are perturbed symbolically according to a very simple rule and thus are reduced to a nondegenerate case. The present technique makes a computer program simple in the sense that it avoids all numerical errors and requires no exceptional branches of processing for degenerate cases.

A frame-installed lightwave synthesizer is constructed for optical frequency-division-multiplexing (FDM) communication. The synthesizer consists of two DFB diode lasers, electrical feedback loops, and an HCN gas cell used as a frequency reference at v0=192,843GHz (1.55459µm in wave-length). Output frequency can be stabilized at anywhere within v0(220) GHz. The beat note observed between the synthesizer and another HCN-stabilized DFB laser is constant within 2MHz over 100 hours. Frequency stability better than 410-10 (80kHz, without normalization) is obtained for an averaging time of 200s.

Multiple-site diversity systems are foreseen for earth to satellite paths operating at frequencies above 10GHz in localities with high rain-induced attenuation. In some severe cases double-site protection can be proved to be inadequate and consequently triple-site diversity becomes indispensable. In the present paper, an approach for the prediction of the triple-site diversity performance based on an appropriate three-dimensional gamma distribution is proposed. The model is oriented for application to earth-space paths located in Japan and other locations with similar climatic conditions. Numerical results are compared with the only available set of experimental data taken from some parts of the United States. Some useful conclusions are deduced.

It is known that the uniquely decodable code pairs (C1, C2) for the two-user binary adder channel relates to the maximum independent set of a graph associated with a binary code. This paper formulates the independence number of a class of graphs associated with binary linear codes, and presents an algorithm of the maximum independent set for those graphs. Uniquely decodable code pairs (C1, C2)'s are produced, where C1 is a linear code and C2 is a maximum independent set of the graph associated with C1. For the given C1, the transmission rate of C2 is higher than that by Khachatrian, which is known as the best result as so far. This is not rather surprising because the code C2 is a maximum independent set in this paper but not be Khachatrian's.

This paper deals with the problem of assigning tasks to the processors of a multiprocessor system such that the sum of execution and communication costs is minimized. If the number of processors is two, this problem can be solved efficiently using the network flow approach pioneered by Stone. This problem is, however, known to be NP-complete in the general case, and thus intractable for systems with a large number of processors. In this paper, we propose a network flow approach for the task assignment problem in homogeneous hypercube networks, i.e., hypercube networks with functionally identical processors. The task assignment problem for an n-dimensional homogeneous hypercube network of N (=2n) processors and M tasks is first transformed into n two-terminal network flow problems, and then solved in time no worse than O(M3 log N) by applying the Goldberg-Tarjan's maximum flow algorithm on each two-terminal network flow problem.

A new type of optical frequency domain reflectometry is demonstrated. Optical carrier frequency is swept so that a phase of the backscattered light is shifted. Then, an interference output of the backscattered light is Fourier transformed. The farther the scattering point locates, the faster the phase of the backscattered light changes. Hence, the Fourier spectrum of the interference output displays the fault distribution along a wave-guide. In the present scheme, the theoretical resolution is inversely proportional to the frequency sweeping range of the optical source and is given by z=c/2nf, where f is the frequency sweeping range of the optical source. In a preliminary experiment, a Michelson type interferometer in which a target fiber of 20cm length is inserted in a probing arm. The reference arm is adjusted to be longer than the probing arm by about 1.8m. This is because the interference term between the backscattering light and the reference light should be separated from the interference term formed by the backscattering light itself. A LD pumped Nd: YAG ring laser whose frequency sweeping range is 20GHz is used as a variable wavelength source. The calculated resolution is 5mm for n=1.5 in fiber. A resultant spectrum in which the two peaks correspond to the reflections at both the fiber ends is obtained.

This paper examines the key technologies and applications of optical frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. It is clarified that a 100-channel OFDM system is feasible as a result of multichannel frequency stabilization, common optical amplification and channel selection utilizing a tunable optical filter. Transmission limitation due to fiber four-wave mixing is also described. Major functions and applications of the OFDM are summarized and the applicability of OFDM add/drop multiplexing is examined.

The subject of the paper is to analyze time complexity of the minimum modification problem in the Horn clause propositional logic. Given a set H of Horn clauses and a query Q in propositional logic, we say that Q is provable over H if and only if Q can be shown to be true by repeating Modus Ponens among clauses of H. Suppose that Q is not provable over H, and we are going to modify H and Q into H and Q , respectively, such that Q is provable over H . The problem of making such modification by minimum variable deletion (MVD), by minimum clause addition (MCA) or by their combination (MVDCA) is considered. Each problem is shown to be NP-complete, and some approximation algorithms with their experimental evaluation are given.

According to the development of optical communication technologies, it is getting easier to handle new devices, such as optical fibers, semiconductor light sources, guided wave devices, and optical integrated circuits. These devices have recently given considerable impact on the optical sensing field. The optical sensing shares the optical devices and the concepts of signal processing or system configuration with the optical communication. In this paper, the advanced lightwave sensing technology is discussed, considering the relation to the advanced optical communication technology. Distributed fiber sensors and the application of coherence characteristics of semiconductor light sources are the topics to be mainly discussed. In the distributed fiber sensors, the fiber plays both a role of low-loss transmission line and a role of lengthwise deployed sensing element. According to the change of characteristics of light propagating in the fiber, distribution of various physical parameters can be measured, such as the fiber loss, temperature, and strain. Optical Time Domain Reflectometry is employed to determine the location. Another tendency in the lightwave sensing field is the use of coherence characteristics of various semiconductor light sources. Low coherent source provide a highly sensitive inertial rotation sensor, that is, interferometric fiber optic gyroscope. Another type of optical gyroscope, optical passive ring-resonator gyro, has been studied as an application of a high coherence source. Frequency tunability of the semiconductor laser, especially that of tunable DFB or DBR lasers, can provide new ways in signal processing in the sensors. Optical coherence function can be synthesized also by utilizing the tunability. In conjunction with the progress in optical communication, lightwave sensing fields are steadily increasing.

Recent progress in electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) technology has created a need for small and wideband antennas that can be used to measure the quality of EMC measurement facilities and to measure electric field strength for immunity tests and human hazard studies. Antennas using fiber optics are being developed because this kind of antenna has the wideband property and can eliminate the influence of the coaxial cable. This paper first summarizes the development of fiber optic antennas for EMC measurement and the construction of practical fiber optic antennas. It then describes the recent progress that has been made in Japan. This progress includes the electromagnetic source and the electric field sensor using a spherical dipole antenna with O/E or E/O converters, and it includes a wideband electric field sensor using electro-optical crystals.

Serious failures of the latest electronic equipments occur easily due to electrostatic discharge (ESD) , which can be caused frequently by the electrification phenomena of human-body walking on the floor. The number of the above damaging incidents has significantly been increasing with an increased use of integrated semiconductor elements with lower operation power. The most effective measures against the ESD consist in preventive ones, which are to obtain dynamic behaviors of the electric charge before the ESD happens, thereby preventing the charge accumulation. From this point of view, this paper describes new approaches for measurement of the static electricity directed toward preventing the ESD. First, a two-dimensional measurement method for visualizing charge distributions is described. This principle is based on visualizing the potential distribution induced in the array electrodes from the electrostatic fields. For showing usefulness of the visualization measurement, a prototype was built and attempts were made on the visualizations for the static electricity distributions of charged bodies. Second, a potential calculation of the human body charged by walking on the floor is described. A model was shown for analyzing the human-body potential on the floor, and the theoretical equation for describing the potential attenuation process was derived in the closed form in the Laplacian transformation domain. In order to obtain the typical half-life of the human-body potential, numerical computations were performed using a reverse Laplacian transformation. The experiments were also conducted for confirming the validity of the computed results. Finally, a new method is described for estimating dynamic behaviors of the occurrence charges of the human body electrified by walking-motions. Statistical measurements of the charges and potentials were made for the fundamental walking-motions specified here. The pace transitions of the potentials due to continuous walking and stepping were also measured and their results were explained from the electrification properties for the fundamental walking-motions.

The subject of the paper is to analyze time complexity of the minimum axiom set problem (MASHC) in the Horn clause propositional logic. MASHC is defined by "Given a set H of Horn clauses and a query Q, all in propositional logic, such that Q is provable over H, find an axiom set of minimum cardinality, HH, with respect to Q, where Q is provable over H if and only if Q can be shown to be true by repeating Modus Ponens starting from clauses of H under the assumption that all of them are originally assumed to be true". If Q is provable over H then H is called an axiom set (with respect to Q). As stated in the definition of MASHC, detecting if Q is provable over H is required. This leads us to a problem, called the provability detecting problem (PDPHC), defined by "Given a set H of Horn clauses and a query Q in propositional logic, determine if Q is provable over H". First an O(σ) algorithm BFSHC for PDPHC is given based on the breadth-first search, where σ is the formula size of a given set of Horn clauses. For MASHC, it is shown that the problem is NP-complete, and an O(σ) approximation algorithm FMAS is given. Its experimental evaluation is also presented.

This paper describes a new approach towards the performance-driven layout for analog LSIs. Based on our approach, we developed an automatic performance-driven layout system LIBRA. The performance-driven layout has an advantage that numerical evaluations of performance requirements may exactly specify layout requirements so that a better layout result will be expected with regard to both the size and the performances. As the first step to the final goal, we only concern with the DC characteristics of analog circuits affected by the placement and routing. First of all, LIBRA performs the sensitivity analysis with respect to process parameters and wire parasitics, which are major causes for DC performance deviations of analog LSIs, so as to describe every perfomance deviation by its first order approximation. Based on the estimations of those performance deviations, LIBRA designs the placement of devices. The placement approach here is the simulated annealing method driven by their circuit performance specification. The routing of inter-cell wires is performed according to the priority of the larger total wire sensitivities in the net by the maze router. Then, the simple compaction eliminates the empty space as much as possible. After that, the power lines optimization is performed so as to minimize the ferformance deviations. Finally, an advantage of the performance improvement by our approach is demonstrated by showing a layout result of a practical bipolar circuit and its excellent performance evaluations.

The effect of the externally reflected light on the mode partition characteristics of 1.3 µm Fabry-Perot laser diodes is studied experimentally and numerically. It is observed that the k-value increases monotonically with the DC bias current and the external reflection coefficient. Based on these experimental results, a numerical model to study the mode partition characteristics of laser diodes in the presence of external reflections is developed. The results calculated using this model agree well with the experimental ones. It is found that the mode partition noise is mainly caused by the interference between the light in the laser diode and the reflected light, and also by the fluctuations of the induced emission and absorption. In the time domain, their contribution to the mode partition noise is almost localized in the time region within 0.1nsec at the time when the optical pulse turns on.

Information technology equipment connected to telecommunications line can be a source of electromagnetic interference. Two sources of interference have been under evaluation. One is the digital pulses in the switching regulator and the clock oscillator, and the other is the signal's common mode voltage. In this paper, the interference-inducing mechanism for the signal's common mode voltage and a method for measuring the interference are described. An equivalent circuit representing both the equipment and the line is derived on the basis of the interference-inducing model. A method for estimating the signal's common mode voltage from the differential mode voltage and the line unbalance is obtained using the equivalent circuit. It is confirmed that the level difference between the estimated and the measured common mode level is less than 3dB.

A new model for a computer simulation of RF capacitive type hyperthermia has been developed by taking account of the following points. Blood flow is usually determined by many physiological parameters, but is regarded as a function of only blood temperature under some conditions. The temperature dependence of blood flow of tumors and normal tissues is assumed by referring the data obtained by Song et al. and Tanaka. The blood temperature which is elevated by externally applied power significantly affects temperatures of the body and the tumors. The transport of heat from the body surface is studied by considering air convection. These points are examined by experiments on a computer with simple phantom models and real patients. The results of simulation on the patient have shown a good agreement with clinical inspection based on CT images and a temperature of the stomach.