A new technique to reduce the isolation network's size in a Marchand balun needed for perfect all-port matching and isolation is proposed. The proposed isolation circuit is realized using a coupled-line phase-inverter in place of the bulky 180line section that has been previously proposed. Analysis of the proposed circuit yields the required relationship between coupling coefficient and electrical length of the coupler. Based on the design equations, the circuit is experimentally demonstrated at 1.8 GHz and has shown excellent results. The obtained output return loss and isolation loss are more than 18 dB and 40 dB, respectively. The proposed balun was then applied to the application of a doubled-balanced ring-diode mixer. The designed mixer achieves a low conversion loss of 6 dB at its operating frequency, which is 1.5 dB lower than for a doubled-balanced diode mixer using a conventional impedance-transforming Marchand balun. The RF-IF and LO-IF isolations are well below 25 dB and 18 dB across 1 GHz RF operating bandwidth, respectively.

The growth in the volume of Internet traffic and the increasing variety of Internet applications require Internet backbone networks to be scalable and provided sophisticated quality of service (QoS) capabilities. Internet backbone routers have evolved to achieve sub-Tbps switching capacity in a single unit, but their switch architectures have limited scalability, causing QoS to degrade as the switches get bigger. Hence, we propose a large-scale IP and lambda integrated router architecture with scalable switches. We first describe the system architecture of our proposed backbone router and clarify the requirements for its switching capabilities to meet near-future demands. The new switch architecture, using crossbar-based switching fabrics and optical interconnection devices, meets the requirements for a backbone router to scale up to 82 Tbps and enable light path switching as well as packet switching. The routing tag and its usage algorithm in the switch, and packaging issues, including the quantity of hardware required for expansion, are also discussed.

This paper describes a new learning method for Multiple-Value Logic (MVL) networks using the local search method. It is a "non-back-propagation" learning method which constructs a layered MVL network based on canonical realization of MVL functions, defines an error measure between the actual output value and teacher's value and updates a randomly selected parameter of the MVL network if and only if the updating results in a decrease of the error measure. The learning capability of the MVL network is confirmed by simulations on a large number of 2-variable 4-valued problems and 2-variable 16-valued problems. The simulation results show that the method performs satisfactorily and exhibits good properties for those relatively small problems.

Recent advances of Web information systems such as e-commerce and e-learning have created very large but hidden demands on conceptual multiresolution analysis for more generalized information analysis, cognition and modeling. To meet the demands in a general way, its modeling is formulated based on modern algebraic topology. To be specific, the modeling formulation is worked out in an incrementally modular abstraction hierarchy with emphasis on the two levels of the hierarchy appropriate for conceptual modeling: the adjunction space level and the cellular structured space level. Examples are shown to demonstrate the usefulness of the presented model as well as an implementation of a flower structure case.

We investigate the capacity limitations of a WDM ring fiber-radio backbone incorporating wavelength interleaving where each base station drives a sectorized antenna interface. We also investigate the issues related to the merging of such networks with standard WDM infrastructures. The investigations show that re-allocating the interleaved WDM channels to fit within a 100 GHz block enables the millimeter-wave (mm-wave) fiber-radio system with sectorized antenna interfaces to integrate easily with WDM systems. The performance of a variety of channel allocations for the merged fiber-radio network is examined and simulation studies of the transmission of multiple channels are carried out. The overall network capacity of the merged mm-wave fiber-radio network is improved with the proposed channel allocation schemes.

A new multilayer artificial neural network learning algorithm based on the pattern search method is proposed. The learning algorithm is designed to provide a very simple and effective means of searching the minima of an objective function directly without any knowledge of its derivatives. We test this algorithm on benchmark problems, such as exclusive-or (XOR), parity and alphabetic character learning problems. For all problems, the systems are shown to be trained efficiently by our algorithm. As a simple direct search algorithm, it can be applied to hardware implementations easily.

A low power MPEG-4 video codec LSI with the capability for core profile decoding is presented. A 16-b DSP with a vector pipeline architecture and a 32-b arithmetic unit, eight dedicated hardware engines to accelerate MPEG-4 SP@L1 codec, CP@L1 decoding and post video processing, 20-Mb embedded DRAM, and three peripheral blocks are integrated together on a single chip. MPEG-4 SP@L1 codec, CP@L1 decoding and post video processing are realized with a hybrid architecture consisting of a programmable DSP and dedicated hardware engines at low operating frequency. In order to reduce the power consumption, clock gating technique is fully adopted in each hardware block and embedded DRAM is employed. The chip is implemented using 0.18-µm quad-metal CMOS technology, and its die area is 8.8 mm 8.6 mm. The power consumption is 90 mW at a SP@L1 codec and 110 mW at a CP@L1 decoding.

A "rooted" plane triangulation is a plane triangulation with one designated vertex r and one designated edge incident to r on the outer face. In this paper we give a simple algorithm to generate all connected rooted plane triangulations with at most m edges. The algorithm uses O(m) space and generates such triangulations in O(1) time per triangulation without duplications. The algorithm does not output entire triangulations but the difference from the previous triangulation. By modifying the algorithm we can generate all connected (non-rooted) plane triangulations with at most m edges in O(m3) time per triangulation.

This Letter presents a fast codeword search algorithm based on ordered Hadamard transform. Before encoding, the ordered Hadamard transform is performed offline on all codewords. During the encoding process, the ordered Hadamard transform is first performed on the input vector, and then a new inequality based on characteristic values of transformed vectors is used to reject the unlikely transformed codewords. Experimental results show that the algorithm outperforms many newly presented algorithms in the case of high dimensionality, especially for high-detail images.

European research Framework Programs and in particular their impact on international standardization for the development of third generation mobile communication systems are reviewed, which are currently being deployed. In 2002 the European Commission launched the 6th Framework Program. In parallel, research on systems beyond third generation started already. Therefore, international organizations such as the Wireless World Research Forum (WWRF) were established. WWRF and other international activities are presented. The vision of the Wireless World is developed from the user perspective, where already a high degree of international harmonization was achieved. The building blocks of the Wireless World and the resulting necessary major research areas are summarized. Future research projects on systems beyond third generation will focus on these topics. Global cooperation will be an important prerequisite to achieve harmonized future standards. Therefore, the 6th Framework Program of the European Commission will provide an important platform for international cooperation. The 6th Framework Program is described in detail.

This paper introduces a design for testability (DFT) scheme for delay faults of a controller-data path circuit. The scheme makes use of both scan and non-scan techniques. First, the data path is transformed into a hierarchically two-pattern testable (HTPT) data path based on a non-scan approach. Then an enhanced scan (ES) chain is inserted on the control lines and the status lines. The ES chain is extended via the state register of the controller. If necessary, the data path is further modified. Then a test controller is designed and integrated to the circuit. Our approach is mostly based on path delay fault model. However the multiplexer (MUX) select lines and register load lines are tested as register transfer level (RTL) segments. For a given circuit, the area overhead incurred by our scheme decreases substantially with the increase in bit-width of the data path of the circuit. The proposed scheme supports hierarchical test generation and can achieve fault coverage similar to that of the ES approach.

This paper presents an improved phoneme-history-dependent (PHD) search algorithm. This method is an optimum algorithm under the assumption that the starting time of a recognized word depends on only a few preceding phonemes (phoneme history). The computational cost and the number of recognition errors can be reduced if the phoneme-history-dependent search uses re-selection of the preceding word and an appropriate length of phoneme histories. These improvements increase the speed of decoding and help to ensure that the resulting word graph has the correct word sequence. In a 65k-word domain-independent Japanese read-speech dictation task and 1000-word spontaneous-speech airline-ticket-reservation task, the improved PHD search was 1.2-1.8 times faster than a traditional word-dependent search under the condition of equal word accuracy. The improved search reduced the number of errors by a maximum of 21% under the condition of equal processing time. The results also show that our search can generate more compact and accurate word graphs than those of the original PHD search method. In addition, we investigated the optimum length of the phoneme history in the search.

AgCdO12wt% contacts mounted on electromagnetic relays are tested in a DC 42 V-8.4 A resistive circuit as make-only contacts and break-only contacts. In this experiment, the arc duration has been measured for each operation and the shape of the transferred pip on each contact has been observed using photograph records taken every 1000 operations. The transferred pip grows markedly at make-only contacts. Furthermore, as a few samples with the long arc duration have the flat hill transferred from the cathode on the anode surface of break-only contacts, we believe that the transferred direction reverses at a certain arc length.

With the advance of high-speed network technologies, availability and popularity of streaming media contents over the Internet has grown rapidly in recent years. Because of their distinct statistical properties and user viewing patterns, traditional delivery and caching schemes for normal web objects such as HTML files or images can not be efficiently applied to streaming media such as audio and video. In this paper, we therefore propose an integrated caching scheme for streaming media with segment-based caching and hierarchically distributed proxies. Firstly, each stream is divided into segments and their caching algorithms are considered to determine how to distribute the segments into different level proxies efficiently. Secondly, by introducing two kinds of segment priorities, segment replacing algorithms are proposed to determine which stream and which segments should be replaced when the cache is full. Finally, a Web-friendly caching scheme is proposed to integrate the streaming caching with the conventional caching of normal web objects. Performance of the proposed algorithms is verified by carrying out simulations.

An experimental equation of V-I characteristics of breaking arc was investigated in the air at atmospheric pressure. Material of the contact pair is Ag, Au, Cu and Ni. Supply voltage is set to 42, 48 and 54 V. The electrical resistance of experimental circuit is 5 Ω. The time evolutions of arc voltage, arc current and gap length were measured, simultaneously. V-I characteristics were obtained from those measured values. The dependence of the arc voltage on the gap length was represented by an approximate formula as a straight line in order to obtain the experimental equation. And the dependence of the strength of electric field of arc column on the supply voltage was approximated to a straight line. Using these approximate formulae, the experimental equation of the dependence of the arc voltage on the arc current was obtained with the gap length as a parameter. It was shown that the experimental equation agreed with experimental data in the experimental conditions for each contact material.

Arc duration of silver contacts was measured with fixed short gap under the condition of different constant gaps and different constant currents, which are close to the minimum arc current of the contact material. The results indicated that the arc occurred even at the current less than the minimum arc current. The arc duration varies in different operations at the same testing condition and it distributes exponentially in the time range up to 100 microseconds. The time constant τ and the extinction rate λ of the distribution were calculated, and related to the arc current. It was assured by silver electrode arc that, even below the so-called minimum arc current, arc ignition may occur but, in this case, the arc duration is momentary, and, as the arc current decreases, the arc extinction rate becomes large.

The interrupting characteristics of low voltage current limiting circuit breakers have directly relationship with the magnitude and distribution of magnetic field produced by contact system and splitter plates. In order to analyze the influence of configuration of contact system on current limiting characteristics, 3D magnetic field of arc chamber (including contact system, arc, splitter plates) is calculated. Furthermore, the electromagnetic repulsion force of movable contact is also calculated. The results can be used to improve configuration of arc quenching chamber. The cooperation between operating mechanism and electromagnetic repulsion force is also analyzed in this paper.

This paper presents a review of volumetric erosion studies applied to electrical contacts. The numerical methods presented are generic and could equally be applied to a number of areas where surfaces have been eroded or damaged. Equally there is no scale limitation of the surfaces to which the numerical methods can be applied. The paper starts with an introduction of the issues associated with the measurement of contact erosion, and then presents a summary of various hardware system for making 3D measurements of surfaces such as electrical contacts. This is followed by a review of the generic form fitting methods and also volume calculation methods. The paper concludes with a review of results taken from a test system for contact studies and from contact samples taken from commercial relays.

In this paper, we propose a new computer-aided diagnosis system which can extract specific features from hematoxylin and eosin (HE)-stained breast tumor images and evaluate the type of tumor using artificial organisms. The gene of the artificial organisms is defined by three kinds of texture features, which can evaluate the specific features of the tumor region in the image. The artificial organisms move around in the image and investigate their environmental conditions during the searching process. When the target pixel is regarded as a tumor region, the organism obtains energy and produces offspring; organisms in other regions lose energy and die. The searching process is iterated until the 30th generation; as a result, tumor regions are filled with artificial organisms. Whether the detected tumor is benign or malignant is evaluated based on the combination of selected genes. The method developed was applied to 27 test cases and the distinction between benign and malignant tumors by the artificial organisms was successful in about 90% of tumor images. In this diagnosis support system, the combination of genes, which represents specific features of detected tumor region, is selected automatically for each tumor image during the searching process.

The forward link capacity plane of a hierarchically structured cellular CDMA system, in which a single frequency band is used for both macrocell and microcell layers, is obtained for isolated microcells (hotspots). The impact of each neighbour microcell and macrocell on the capacity plane, for a reference mobile station as the worst case, is also investigated. The results for the case of three microcells in each macrocell show that 69% of macrocell interference to microcell mobile stations comes from the closest macrocell. It is also found that 80% of macrocell interference to the reference macrocell mobile station comes from the central cell and the first cell tier around it.