Online Social Networks (OSNs) have recently been playing an important role in communication. From the audience aspect, they enable audiences to get unlimited information via the information feeding mechanism (IFM), which is an important part of the OSNs. The audience relies on the quantity and quality of the information served by it. We found that existing IFMs can result in two problems: information overload and cultural ignorance. In this paper, we propose a new type of IFM that solves these problems. The advantage of our proposed IFM is that it can filter irrelevant information with consideration of audiences' culture by using the Naïve Bayes (NB) algorithm together with features and factors. It then dynamically serves interesting and important information based on the current situation and preference of the audience. This mechanism helps the audience to reduce the time spent in finding interesting information. It can be applied to other cultures, societies and businesses. In the near future, the audience will be provided with excellent, and less annoying, communication. Through our studies, we have found that our proposed IFM is most appropriate for Thai and some groups of Japanese audiences under the consideration of audiences' culture.

In this paper, we introduce a new multi-operator pico eNodeB (eNB) concept for cellular networks. It is expected that mobile data offloading will be performed effectively after installing the pico eNBs in cellular networks, owing to the rapid increase in mobile traffic. However, when several different operators independently install the pico eNBs, high costs and large amounts of space will be required for the installation. In addition, when several different operators accommodate their own user equipments (UEs) in the pico eNBs, not enough UEs can be accommodated. This is because the UEs are not evenly distributed in the coverage area of the pico eNBs. In this paper, the accommodation of the UEs of different operators in co-sited pico eNB is discussed as one of the solutions to these problems. For the accommodation of the UEs of different operators, wireless resources should be allocated to them. However, when each operator independently controls his wireless resources, the operator is not provided with an incentive to accommodate the UEs of the other operators in his pico eNBs. For this reason, an appropriate rule for appropriate allocation of the wireless resources to the UEs of different operators should be established. In this paper, by using the concepts of game theory and mechanism design, a resource allocation rule where each operator is provided with an incentive to allocate the wireless resources to the UEs of different operators is proposed. With the proposed rule, each operator is not required to disclose the control information like link quality and the number of UEs to the other operators. Furthermore, the results of a throughput performance evaluation confirm that the proposed scheme improves the total throughput as compared with individual resource allocation.

Multi-Walled CNT (MWCNT) are synthesized on a silicon wafer and sputter coated with a gold film. The planar surfaces are mounted on the tip of a piezo-electric actuator and mated with a gold coated hemispherical surface to form an electrical contact. These switching contacts are tested under conditions typical of MEMS relay applications; 4V, with a static contact force of 1mN, at a low current between 20-50mA. The failure of the switch is identified by the evolution of contact resistance which is monitored throughout the switching cycles. The results show that the contact resistance can be stable for up to 120 million switching cycles, which are 106 orders of higher than state-of-the-art pure gold contact. Bouncing behavior was also observed in each switching cycle. The failing mechanism was also studied in relation to the contact surface changes. It was observed that the contact surfaces undergo a transfer process over the switching life time, ultimately leading to switching failure the number of bounces is also related to the fine transfer failure mechanism.

In this paper, a new bandwidth allocation scheme is proposed based on the Mechanism Design (MD); MD is a branch of game theory that stimulates rational users to behave cooperatively for a global goal. The proposed scheme consists of bandwidth adaptation, call admission control and pricing computation algorithms to improve network performance. These algorithms are designed based on the adaptive online approach and work together to maximize bandwidth efficiency economically. A simulation shows that the proposed scheme can satisfy contradictory requirements and so provide well-balanced network performance.

As one innovative research that heavily depends on the network virtualization for its realization and deployment on an Internet-scale, we propose an approach to utilize user resources in information-centric network (ICN). We try to fully benefit from the in-network cache that is one attractive feature of ICN by expanding the in-network cache indirectly based on the user resources. To achieve this, in this paper, we focus on how to encourage users to contribute their resources in ICN. Through simulations, we examine a feasibility of our approach and an effect of user participation on the content distribution performance in ICN. We also briefly discuss how the network virtualization technique can be utilized for our research in terms of its evaluation and deployment.

In this letter, we argue that user resources will be still useful in the information-centric network (ICN). From this point of view, we first examine how P2P utilizing user resources looks like in ICN. Then, we identify challenging research issues to utilize user resources in ICN.

Previous inter-domain fast authentication schemes only realize the authentication of user identity. We propose a trusted inter-domain fast authentication scheme based on the split mechanism network. The proposed scheme can realize proof of identity and integrity verification of the platform as well as proof of the user identity. In our scheme, when the mobile terminal moves to a new domain, the visited domain directly authenticates the mobile terminal using the ticket issued by the home domain rather than authenticating it through its home domain. We demonstrate that the proposed scheme is highly effective and more secure than contemporary inter-domain fast authentication schemes.

We observe that the state-of-the-art power-saving mechanisms (PSM) for IEEE 802.16e is neither optimal in terms of delay nor in terms of energy consumption. We propose a new PSM which achieves the optimality in terms of the average buffering delay without increasing energy consumption. In order to do so, we derive a formula which relates the average buffering delay to sleep intervals. Simulation results show that our scheme surpasses the BTE algorithm (used by the current IEEE 802.16e Mobile Stations) by 56.75–76% and the PSID algorithm by 8.52–24.39% in terms of the delay-energy consumption product.

We propose a generic conversion from a key encapsulation mechanism (KEM) to an identification (ID) scheme. The conversion derives the security for ID schemes against concurrent man-in-the-middle (cMiM) attacks from the security for KEMs against adaptive chosen ciphertext attacks on one-wayness (one-way-CCA2). Then, regarding the derivation as a design principle of ID schemes, we develop a series of concrete one-way-CCA2 secure KEMs. We start with El Gamal KEM and prove it secure against non-adaptive chosen ciphertext attacks on one-wayness (one-way-CCA1) in the standard model. Then, we apply a tag framework with the algebraic trick of Boneh and Boyen to make it one-way-CCA2 secure based on the Gap-CDH assumption. Next, we apply the CHK transformation or a target collision resistant hash function to exit the tag framework. And finally, as it is better to rely on the CDH assumption rather than the Gap-CDH assumption, we apply the Twin DH technique of Cash, Kiltz and Shoup. The application is not “black box” and we do it by making the Twin DH technique compatible with the algebraic trick. The ID schemes obtained from our KEMs show the highest performance in both computational amount and message length compared with previously known ID schemes secure against concurrent man-in-the-middle attacks.

Conventional mechanisms proposed for enhancing quality of service (QoS) in 802.11 networks suffer from a lack of backward compatibility and fairness with and to legacy devices. In this paper, we present a cooperative mechanism, called TXOP (transmission opportunity) Exchange, that provides a legacy-neutral solution in which only stations (STAs) participating in TXOP Exchange cooperatively use their available bandwidth to satisfy their required throughputs, while other legacy devices continue to get the same throughput performance as before. Specifically, we discuss the implementation of TXOP Exchange in legacy 802.11 networks. We show that this mechanism can be realized with minor modifications to the RTS (request-to-send) frames of only the STAs participating in TXOP Exchange and without any replacement of legacy access points or STAs. We show an example of a proportional fair algorithm for fair and efficient MAC cooperation using a Nash bargaining solution (NBS). A simulation study using a realistic simulator verifies that the TXOP Exchange mechanism ensures legacy neutrality and fair and efficient cooperation even when a large number of legacy STAs coexist.

An AdaBoost-based face detection system is proposed, on a Coarse Grain Reconfigurable Architecture (CGRA) named “REMUS-II”. Our work is quite distinguished from previous ones in three aspects. First, a new hardware-software partition method is proposed and the whole face detection system is divided into several parallel tasks implemented on two Reconfigurable Processing Units (RPU) and one micro Processors Unit (µPU) according to their relationships. These tasks communicate with each other by a mailbox mechanism. Second, a strong classifier is treated as a smallest phase of the detection system, and every phase needs to be executed by these tasks in order. A phase of Haar classifier is dynamically mapped onto a Reconfigurable Cell Array (RCA) only when needed, and it's quite different from traditional Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) methods in which all the classifiers are fabricated statically. Third, optimized data and configuration word pre-fetch mechanisms are employed to improve the whole system performance. Implementation results show that our approach under 200 MHz clock rate can process up-to 17 frames per second on VGA size images, and the detection rate is over 95%. Our system consumes 194 mW, and the die size of fabricated chip is 23 mm2 using TSMC 65 nm standard cell based technology. To the best of our knowledge, this work is the first implementation of the cascade Haar classifier algorithm on a dynamically CGRA platform presented in the literature.

A non-audible murmur (NAM), a very weak whisper sound produced without vocal fold vibration, has been researched in the development of a silent-speech communication tool for functional speech disorders as well as human-to-human/machine interfaces with inaudible voice input. The NAM can be detected using a specially designed microphone, called a NAM microphone, attached to the neck. However, the detected NAM signal has a low signal-to-noise ratio and severely suppressed high-frequency component. To improve NAM clarity, the mechanism of a NAM production must be clarified. In this work, an air flow through a glottis in the vocal tract was numerically simulated using computational fluid dynamics and vocal tract shape models that are obtained by a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan for whispered voice production with various strengths, i.e. strong, weak, and very weak. For a very weak whispering during the MRI scan, subjects were trained, just before the scanning, to produce the very weak whispered voice, or the NAM. The numerical results show that a weak vorticity flow occurs in the supraglottal region even during a very weak whisper production; such vorticity flow provide aeroacoustic sources for a very weak whispering, i.e. NAM, as in an ordinary whispering.

This paper focuses on the research of a new high-speed DC switch repulsion mechanism with experimental and simulation methods. Multi-physical equations reflecting the transient electromagnetic field, electric circuit, mechanical motion and material deformation are coupled in the calculation. For the reason of accuracy, skin effect and the proximity effect caused by the current in the coil are also taken into account. According to the simulation results, which indicate several key parameters severely affecting the mechanism speed, a high-speed DC switch repulsion mechanism is developed. By the test of mechanism motion, its average speed can be up to 8.4 m/s and its mechanism response time is 250 µs, which verifies the simulation results. Furthermore, during high speed motion the stress on the metal plate and moving contact is also discussed. It is noticed that the influence of the material deformation on the mechanical motion is very important.

Power consumption has become an increasing concern in high performance microprocessor design. Especially, Instruction Cache (I-Cache) contributes a large portion of the total power consumption in a microprocessor, since it is a complex unit and is accessed very frequently. Several studies on low-power design have been presented for the power-efficient cache design. However, these techniques usually suffer from the restrictions in the traditional Instruction Fetch Unit (IFU) architectures where the fetch address needs to be sent to I-Cache once it is available. Therefore, work to reduce the power consumption is limited after the address generation and before starting an access. In this paper, we present a new power-aware IFU architecture, named Analysis Before Starting an Access (ABSA), which aims at maximizing the power efficiency of the low-power designs by eliminating the restrictions on those low-power designs of the traditional IFU. To achieve this goal, ABSA reorganizes the IFU pipeline and carefully assigns tasks for each stages so that sufficient time and information can be provided for the low-power techniques to maximize the power efficiency before starting an access. The proposed design is fully scalable and its cost is low. Compared to a conventional IFU design, simulation results show that ABSA saves about 30.3% fetch power consumption, on average. I-Cache employed by ABSA reduces both static and dynamic power consumptions about 85.63% and 66.92%, respectively. Meanwhile the performance degradation is only about 0.97%.

This paper shows a simple methodology for shortening a ciphertext of reproducible key encapsulation mechanisms. Specifically, it transforms a key encapsulation mechanism having OW-CCCA security and reproducibility into that of IND-CCA secure in the random oracle model whose ciphertext is shorter. Various existing chosen-ciphertext secure key encapsulation mechanisms (in the standard model) are reproducible, and thus their ciphertext can be shortened by the proposed transformation. The transformed scheme requires only one additional hashing for encryption. This property enables us to implement both the original scheme and the transformed scheme into a single chip simultaneously with small gate-size overhead. Using this chip, a sender can flexibly switch schemes to encrypt a message in a message-by-message manner. Such a use of schemes is also analyzed.

In this paper, a new adaptive online price control scheme is formalized based on the Stackelberg game model. To provide the most desirable network performance, the proposed scheme consists of two different control mechanisms; user-based and operator-based mechanisms. By using the hierarchical interaction strategy, control decisions in each mechanism act cooperatively and collaborate with each other to satisfy conflicting performance criteria. With a simulation study, the proposed scheme can adaptively adjust the network price to approximate an optimized solution under widely diverse network situations.

Routing is still a challenging issue for wireless sensor networks (WSNs), in particular for WSNs with a non-uniform deployment of nodes. This paper introduces a Node Aggregation Degree-aware Random Routing (NADRR) algorithm for non-uniform WSNs with the help of two new concepts, namely the Local Vertical Aggregation Degree (LVAD) and Local Horizontal Aggregation Degree (LHAD). Our basic idea is to first apply the LVAD and LHAD to determine one size-proper forwarding region (rather than a fixed-size one as in uniform node deployment case) for each node participating in routing, then select the next hop node from the size-proper forwarding region in a probabilistic way, considering both the residual energy and distribution of nodes. In this way, a good adaptability to the non-uniform deployment of nodes can be guaranteed by the new routing algorithm. Extensive simulation results show that in comparison with other classical geographic position based routing algorithms, such as GPSR, TPGF and CR, the proposed NADRR algorithm can result in lower node energy consumption, better balance of node energy consumption, higher routing success rate and longer network lifetime.

While volunteer computing (VC) systems reach the most powerful computing platforms, they still have the problem of guaranteeing computational correctness, due to the inherent unreliability of volunteer participants. Spot-checking technique, which checks each participant by allocating spotter jobs, is a promising approach to the validation of computation results. The current spot-checking is based on the implicit assumption that participants never distinguish spotter jobs from normal ones; however generating such spotter jobs is still an open problem. Hence, in the real VC environment where the implicit assumption does not always hold, spot-checking-based methods such as well-known credibility-based voting become almost impossible to guarantee the computational correctness. In this paper, we generalize spot-checking by introducing the idea of imperfect checking. This generalization allows to guarantee the computational correctness under the situation that spot-checking is not fully-reliable and participants may distinguish spotter jobs. Moreover, we develop a generalized formula of the credibility, which enables credibility-based voting to utilize check-by-voting technique. Simulation results show that check-by-voting improves the performance of credibility-based voting, while guaranteeing the same level of computational correctness.

Usually the contact voltage drop or contact resistance of electromagnetic relays is observed only to identify if the contacts are failure or not on the manufactures' life tests. However, it is difficult to reveal the contact performance degradation because the variation of contact resistance may not be obvious. In this paper, a new life test technology was investigated to analyze the contact failure mechanisms and degenerative processes of electromagnetic relays by measuring their time parameters including closing time, opening time, over-travel time, rebound duration and gap time during each operation. Moreover, for the purpose of verifying the time parameters, the contact motion and contact morphology during life test were record by using a high speed camera. Both the variations of time parameters and information obtained from photos taken by high speed camera show that it involves three different degenerative phases during the whole life of a relay. The results also indicate this method is an effective technology to discriminate and diagnose the failure mechanisms for electromagnetic relays.

In a WSAN (Wireless Sensor and Actuator Network), most resources, including sensors and actuators, are designed for certain applications in a dedicated environment. Many researchers have proposed to use of gateways to infer and annotate heterogeneous data; however, such centralized methods produce a bottlenecking network and computation overhead on the gateways that causes longer response time in activity processing, worsening performance. This work proposes two distribution inference mechanisms: regionalized and sequential inference mechanisms to reduce the response time in activity processing. Finally, experimental results for the proposed inference mechanisms are presented, and it shows that our mechanisms outperform the traditional centralized inference mechanism.