A black membrane is a biological-membrane analogue, i.e. a phospholipid bilayer membrane, artificially formed on an orifice immersed in water. It is used to investigate the properties of the membrane itself and channels embedded therein. In this paper, microfabrication techniques are applied to fabricate the orifice, and a glass substrate is isotropically etched to define the orifice geometry. The periphery of the orifice was patterned with aminosilane to anchor the membrane. The remainder part was coated with fluorosilane to make the surface hydrophobic and to prevent adsorption of channel-forming molecules. We demonstrated experimentally that a stable and reproducible membrane is easily obtainable using the orifice.

Coding scheme is discussed for M-Choose-T communication in which at most T active users out of M potential users simultaneously transmit their messages over a common channel. The multiple-access channel considered in this paper is assumed to be a time-discrete noiseless adder channel without feedback with T binary inputs and one real-valued output, and is used on the assumption of perfect block and bit synchronization among users. In this paper a new class of uniquely decodable codes is proposed in order to realize error-free M-Choose-T communication over the adder channel described above. These codes are uniquely decodable in the sense that not only the set of active users can be specified but also their transmitted messages can be recovered uniquely as long as T or fewer users are active simultaneously. It is shown that these codes have a simple decoding algorithm and can achieve a very high sum rate arbitrarily close to unity if exactly T users are active.

Genetic algorithms have been shown to be very useful in a variety of search and optimization problems. In this paper, we propose a modified genetic channel router. We adopt the compatible crossover operator and newly designed compatible mutation operator in order to search solution space more effectively, where vertical constraints are integrated. By carefully selected fitness function forms and optimized genetic parameters, the current version speeds up benchmarks on average about 5.83 times faster than that of our previous version. Moreover the total convergence to optimal solutions for benchmarks can be always obtained.

We present a new multi-layer over-the-cell channel router for standard cell layout design using simulated annealing. This new approach, STANZA-M consists of two key features. The first key feature of our router is a new scheme for simulated annealing in which we use a cost function to evaluate both the total net-length and the channel heights, and an effective simulated annealing process by a limited range to obtain an optimal chnnel wiring in practical time. The second feature of our router is a basic layer assignment procedure in which we assign all horizontal wiring inside a channel to feasible layers by considering the height of channel including cell region with a one dimensional channel compaction process. We implemented our three-layer cannel router in C language on a Solbourne Series 5 Work Station (22 MIPS). Experimental results for benchmarks such as Deutsch's Difficult Example and MCNC's PRIMARY1 channel routing problems indicate that STANZA-M can achieve superior results compared to the conventional routers, and the process times are very fast despite the use of simulated annealing.

A novel effective channel length extraction method has been developed, which utilizes the difference between the local threshold voltage of channel region and that of external region. In this method, the dependence of external resistance on Vg is taken into account, and it is not necessary to extract Vth. It is found that the external resistance can be approximated as the linear function of Vg with Vg around Vth. For a 0.4 µm gate length LDD MOSFET, the accuracy and resolution are estimated to be less than 0.02 µm and 0.003 µm, respectively.

Optical WDM (Wavelength Division Multiplexing) technology is a method of exploiting the huge bandwidth of optical fibers. Local lightwave networks which use fixed wavelength transmitters and receivers can be built in a multihop fashion. In multihop local lightwave networks, packets arrive at their destination by hopping a number of intermediate nodes. The channel sharing schemes for multihop lightwave networks have been proposed for efficient channel utilization, but those schemes result in the degradation of network capacity and the user throughput. In this paper, we propose an improved WDM channel sharing scheme using the logically bidirectional perfect shuffle interconnection pattern, achieving smaller number of average hops for transmission and better channel utilization efficiency. Better channel utilization efficiency is obtained without much deteriorating the network capacity and the user throughput. TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) protocol can be used to control the sharing of channels, and time delay and lost packet probability analysis based on TDMA is performed.

We analyze the error probability performance of multi-pulse pulse position modulation (MPPM) in noisy photon counting channel. Moreover we investigate the error perofrmance of convolutional coded MPPM and RS coded MPPM in noisy photon counting channel. We define a distance between symbols as the number of nonoverlapping pulses in one symbol, and by using the distance we analyze the error performance of MPPM in noisy photon counting channel. It is shown that MPPM has better performance than PPM in the error probability performance in noisy photon counting channel. For PPM in noisy photon counting channel, convolutional codes are more effective than RS codes to reduce the average transmitting power. For MPPM in noisy photon counting channel, however, RS codes are shown to be more effective than convolutional codes.

Multilevel RLL (Runlength Limited) sequences are analyzed. Their noiseless capacity and lower bounds on the channel capacity in the presence of additive white Gaussian noise are given. Moreover, the analytical power spectra formulae for those sequences which generalize the previously derived one for binary sequences are newly derived. We conclude from the analysis of the power spectra that multilevel RLL sequences are attractive from the point of view that they increase information rate while keeping low DC-content and self-clocking capability of binary RLL sequences.

Go-Back-N automatic repeat request (GBN ARQ) and Stop-and wait (SW) ARQ schemes are one of fundamental and widely used error control procedures for data communication and computer communication systems. The throughput and delay performances of these ARQ schemes have been analyzed for a random error channel, which could not applicable for a radio channel, for example. In this paper, considering the correlated, noisy channel, we derive the exact formula for the delay of a frame in GBN and SW ARQ schemes. First, the delay formula for the discrete time M[x]/G/1 queueing system with starter. Next, the virtual service time of a frame is found in terms of the decay factor of a two-state Markov chain. As a result, it is shown that the performance of the delay is improved with the larger decay factor.

A uniquely decodable (UD) code pair (C, S) is considered for the two-user binary adder channel. For a class of linear codes C, the maximum independent set of the graph associated with C, which is the second code S, is evaluated. When the rate R1 of C is less than 0.5, there exist UD codes (C, S)'s such that the rate R2 of S exceeds the Khachatrian's and Guo's results in amount.

The demand for mobile communication services is rapidly increasing, because the mobile communication service is synonymy of an ideal communication style realizing communication in anytime, anywhere and with anyone. The development of economic and social activities is a primary factor of the increasing demand for mobile communication services. The demand stimulates the development of technology in mobile communication including personal communication services. Thus mobile communication has been one of the most active research in communications in the last several years. There exist various problems to which graph & network theory is applicable in mobile communication services (for example, channel assignment algorithm in cellular system, protocol in modile communication networks and traffic control in mobile communication ). A model of a cellular system has been formulated using a graph and it is known that the channel assignment problem is equivalent to the coloring problem of graph theory. Recently, two types of coloring problems on graphs or networks related to the channel assignment problem were proposed. Mainly, we introduce these coloring problems and show some results on these problems in this paper.

In this paper, the average error-rate characteristics are investigated as the number of users increases in the digital cellular DS/CDMA (Direct Sequence/Code Division Multiple Access) systems. Then, the performances of the various error control schemes applied to the data service of digital cellular DS/CDMA systems are compared and analyzed. That is, the performances of the conventional error control schemes such as Go-back-N ARQ (Automatic Repeat Request) and Selective-Repeat ARQ are analyzed in the circumstance of digital cellular DS/CDMA system. Also, the improved error control schemes which utilize the variable window size and/or variable data packet size are proposed and evaluated in order to improve the performances of the conventional error control scheme such as Quick-Repeat ARQ and WORM ARQ schemes in the digital cellular DS/CDMA system environments. According to the simulation results, the performances of the improved scheme with variable window and variable frame size are superior to those of the conventional scheme in the view of throughput and delay characteristics due to the robustness to the fading channel impairments.

This paper examines the retransmission probability and throughput characteristics of slow-frequency-hopping spread spectrum transmission in Rayleigh fading indoor channels of multi-cell environments. Because signal strength in a Rayleigh fading indoor channel changes slowly, retransmission probability is little influenced by the retransmission unit length and error correction capability when retransmission unit length is shorter than the fading period. With the 83.5MHz bandwidth of the 2.4GHz ISM (Industrial, Scientific, and Medical) band in the USA, quaternary phase shift keying (QPSK) is expected to provide a throughput of nearly 1Mbps in each cell when we assume a shadowing margin of 18.1dB and we use 4 cells, 100 hopping frequencies, a transmission power of 600mW, and a transmission distance of 20m. And also with the 26MHz bandwidth of the 2.4GHz ISM band in Japan, QPSK is expected to provide a throughput of nearly 1Mbps in each cell under similar conditions but with 26 hopping frequencies and a transmission power of 260mW.

Stored channel simulation for mobile radio channel can be the common base of the development of future world wide personal radio communication systems, especially for high bit-rate digital system. This paper proposes a mobile radio channel database which is suitable for the laboratory channel simulation using a simple stored channel simulator, also proposed by the author. The database enables the establishment of a mobile radio channel database containing worldwide channel data in a few discs of compact disc.

The Shannon-Hartley theorem for channel capacity presupposes signal transmission over time-invariant Gaussian channels. In a mobile radio environment, communications channels have randomly time-variant characteristics. In this paper, an expression for the average capacity of Rician fading channels is derived. It is shown that the average capacity of Rician channels is always lower than that of the Gaussian channel, while the Rayleigh channel capacity values represent the worst situation. In addition, the Rician channel capacity is examined when reception by a maximal-ratio combining technique with M-branches is employed, indicating its positive effect on channel average capacity when weak signal power or severe fading conditions are present. Finally, the relation between Rician and Rayleigh fading environment with respect to channel average capacity is discussed.

This paper studies the effect of frequency re-using patterns on the channel capacity in the forward link of orthogonal code division multiple access (CDMA) cellular systems. The received carrier-to-interference ratio (CIR) determined by computer simulation shows that re-using the same frequency channel on every third sector (3-sector layout) provides superior channel capacity than does every-sector re-use (1-sector layout).

In cellular mobile systems, an alternative approach for a Dynamic Channel Assignment problem is presented. It adaptively assigns the channels considering the cochannel interference level. The Dynamic Channel Assignment problem is modeled on the different cellular system from the conventional one. In this paper, we formulate the rearrangement problem in the Dynamic Channel Assignment and propose a novel strategy for the problem. The proposed algorithm is based on an artificial neural network as a specific dynamical system, and is successfully applied to the cellular system models. The computer simulation results show that the algorithm utilized for the rearrangement is an effective strategy to improve the traffic characteristics.

This paper presents an adaptive MLSE (Maximum Likelihood Sequence Estimator) suitable for TDMA cellular systems. The proposed MLSE has two special features such as handling wide dynamic range signals without analogue gain controls and fast channel tracking capability. In order to handle wide dynamic range signals without conventional AGCs (Automatic Gain Controller), the proposed MLSE uses envelope components of received signals obtained from a non-linear log-amplifier module which has wide log-linear gain characteristics. By using digital signal processing technique, the log-converted envelope components are normalized and converted to linear values which conventional adaptive MLSEs can handle. As a channel tracking algorithm of the channel estimator, the proposed MLSE adopts a QT-LMS (Quick-Tracking Least Mean Square) algorithm, which is obtained by modifying LMS algorithm to enable a faster tracking capability. The algorithm has a fast tracking capability with low complexity and is suitable for implementation in a fixed-point digital signal processor. The performances of the MLSE have been evaluated through experiments in TDMA cellular environments with π/4-shifted QPSK, 24.3k symbol/sec. It is shown that, under conditions of 65dB amplitude variations and 80Hz Doppler frequency, the MLSE successfully achieves less than 3% B.E.R., which is required for digital cellular systems.

A receiving system suitable for multipath fading channels with co-channel interference is described. This system is equipped with both an M-sectored directional antenna and an adaptive equalizer to mitigate the influence due to multipath propagation and co-channel interference. By using directional antennas, this receiving system can separate desirable signals from undesirable signals, such as multipath signals with longer delay time and co-channel interference. It accepts multipath signals which can be equalized by maximum likelihood sequence estimation, and rejects both multipath signals with longer delay time and co-channel interference. Based on computer simulation results, the performance of the proposed receiving system is analyzed assuming simple propagation models with Rayleigh-distributed multipath signals and co-channel interference.

This paper proposes a new adaptive Interference Cancelling Equalizer (ICE) with a blind algorithm. From a received signal, ICE not only eliminates inter-symbol interference, but also cancels co-channel interference. Blind ICE can operate well even if training signals for the interference are unknown. First, training signal conditions for applying blind ICE are considered. Next, a theoretical derivation for blind ICE is developed in detail by applying the maximum likelihood estimation theory. It is shown that RLS-MLSE with diversity, which is derived for mobile radio equalizers, is also effective for blind ICE. Computer simulations demonstrate the 40kb/s QDPSK transmission performance of Blind ICE as a blind canceller with two branch diversity reception under Rayleigh fading in a single interference environment. The simulations assume synchronous training; the canceller is trained for the desired signal but not for the interference signals. Blind ICE can be successfully achieved at more than -10dB CIR values when average Eb/N0 is 15dB and a maximum Doppler frequency is 40Hz.