Predictive Caching Strategy for On-Demand Routing Protocols in Wireless Ad Hoc Networks

Route caching strategy is important in on-demand routing protocols in wireless ad hoc networks. While high routing overhead usually has a significant performance impact in low bandwidth wireless networks, a good route caching strategy can reduce routing overheads by making use of the available route information more efficiently. In this paper, we first study the effects of two cache schemes, link cache and path cache, on the performance of on-demand routing protocols through simulations based on the Dynamic Source Routing (DSR) protocol. Since the path cache DSR has been extensively studied, we focus in this paper on the link cache DSR in combination with timer-based stale link expiry mechanisms. The effects of different link lifetime values on the performance of routing protocol in terms of routing overhead, packet delivery ratio and packet latency are investigated. A caching strategy incorporating adaptive link timeout is then proposed, which aims at tracking the optimal link lifetime under various node mobility levels by adaptively adjusting the link lifetime based on the real link lifetime statistics. The performance of the proposed strategy is then compared with the conventional path cache DSR. The results show that without a timeout mechanism, a link cache scheme may suffer severe performance degradation due to the use of broken routes, while the proposed adaptive link cache strategy achieves significantly improved performance by reducing the routing overhead when the network traffic load is high.     

The Complex Bootstrap Algorithm for Blind Separation of QAM Multiuser CDMA Signals

The bootstrap separator for multiuser signals is principally composed of cancelers, each one using the output of the other cancelers to facilitate control of its adaptive weight. In fact, such a structure performs as a signal separator rather than an interference canceler. Since for its separation there is no need for a reference signal (as in LMS cancelers), it is sometimes justifiably called a Blind Separator. However, for its operation the bootstrap separator requires a signal distinguisher termed discriminator. The algorithm was used in the past in applications such as dually polarized satellite communications and microwave terrestrial links. It was particularly reported for multiuser CDMA signal separating, with the signum function as discriminator. Especially for QAM signals, complex presentation is important. Therefore, we will concentrate in this report on what we call the Complex Bootstrap Algorithm. It is an extension to the previously reported bootstrap structure of [5]. We will examine its performance and emphasize the hardware saving in its implementation, and the ease of using it in simulation.     

Quality Determination for Gate Delay Fault Tests Considering Three-State Elements

Most industrial digital circuits contain three-state elements besides pure logic gates. This paper presents a gate delay fault simulator for combinational circuits that can handle three-state elements like bus drivers, transmission gates and pulled busses. The well known delay faults--slow-to-rise and slow-to-fall--are considered as well as delayed transitions from isolating signal state high impedance to binary states 0 and 1 and vice versa. The presented parallel delay fault simulator distinguishes between non-robust, robust and hazard free tests and determines the quality of a test. Experimental results for ISCAS85/89 benchmark circuits are presented as well as results for industrial circuits containing three-state elements.     

A scalable wireless virtual LAN

This paper presents a Wireless Virtual Local Area Network (WVLAN) to support mobility in IPoverATM local area networks. Mobility is handled by a joint ATMlayer handoff for connection rerouting and MAClayer handoff for location tracking, such that the effects of mobility are localized and transparent to the higherlayer protocols. Different functions, such as Address Resolution Protocol (ARP), mobile location, and ATM connection admission are combined to reduce protocol overhead and frontend delay for connectionless packet transmission in connectionoriented ATM networks. The proposed WVLAN, through the use of ATM technology, provides a scalable wireless virtual LAN solution for IP mobile hosts.     

The dangers of simplistic delay models

The identification of sensitizable paths and the determination of path delays play key roles in many delay fault testing schemes. In this paper we examine a range of gate delay models with respect to their impact on identifying both sensitizable paths and maximum circuit delays in combinational logic circuits. We provide recommendations on the minimum acceptable model for identifying critical paths, and a minimum acceptable model for determining maximum circuit delays. In particular, we recommend against the use of delay models which fail to distinguish between rise and fall delays. Such models, including the commonly-used unit-delay model, are shown to significantly misrepresent circuit delay behaviour, particularly with respect to critical paths and long false paths.This research is supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.     

Floor acquisition multiple access (FAMA) in single‐channel wireless networks

The FAMANCS protocol is introduced for wireless LANs and adhoc networks that are based on a single channel and asynchronous transmissions (i.e., no time slotting). FAMANCS (for floor acquisition multiple access with nonpersistent carrier sensing) guarantees that a single sender is able to send data packets free of collisions to a given receiver at any given time. FAMANCS is based on a threeway handshake between sender and receiver in which the sender uses nonpersistent carrier sensing to transmit a requesttosend (RTS) and the receiver sends a cleartosend (CTS) that lasts much longer than the RTS to serve as a busy tone that forces all hidden nodes to back off long enough to allow a collisionfree data packet to arrive at the receiver. It is shown that carrier sensing is needed to support collisionfree transmissions in the presence of hidden terminals when nodes transmit RTSs asynchronously. The throughput of FAMANCS is analyzed for singlechannel networks with and without hidden terminals; the analysis shows that FAMANCS performs better than ALOHA, CSMA, and all prior proposals based on collision avoidance dialogues (e.g., MACA, MACAW, and IEEE 802.11 DFWMAC) in the presence of hidden terminals. Simulation experiments are used to confirm the analytical results.     

A reservation-based multicast (RBM) routing protocol for mobile networks: initial route construction phase

We propose a combined multicast routing, resource reservation and admission control protocol, termed Reservation-Based Multicast (RBM), that borrows the Rendezvous Point or Core concept from multicast routing algorithms proposed for the Internet, but which is intended for operation in mobile networks and routes hierarchically-encoded data streams based on user-specified fidelity requirements, real-time delivery thresholds and prevailing network bandwidth constraints. The protocol exhibits the fully distributed operation and receiver-initiated orientation of these proposed algorithms; but, unlike them, the protocol is tightly coupled to a class of underlying, distributed, unicast routing protocols thereby facilitating operation in a dynamic topology. This paper focuses on the initial route construction phase, assumed to occur during a static snapshot of the dynamic topology, and is therefore applicable to fixed networks as well, e.g. the Internet.This work was sponsored by the U.S. Navy and the American Society for Engineering Education under the U.S. Navy's Summer Faculty Research Program.Each application must specify a mechanism for ensuring that a processor is always aware of its associated entities. For example, in the current Internet architecture, a group membership protocol [2] serves a similar function of keeping routers informed of the membership their directly attached subnetworks.A processor can be viewed as either an IP router or an ATM switch.     

A unified partitioning and scheduling scheme for mapping multi-stage regular iterative algorithms onto processor arrays

This paper addresses the partitioning and scheduling problems in mapping multi-stage regular iterative algorithms onto fixed size distributed memory processor arrays. We first propose a versatile partitioning model which provides a unified framework to integrate various partitioning schemes such as locally sequential globally parallel, locally parallel globally sequential and multi-projection. To alleviate the run time data migration overhead—a crucial problem to the mapping of multi-stage algorithms, we further relax the widely adopted atomic partitioning constraint in our model such that a more flexible partitioning scheme can be achieved. Based on this unified partitioning model, a novel hierarchical scheduling scheme which applies separate schedules at different processor hierarchies is then developed. The scheduling problem is then formulated into a set of ILP problem and solved by the existing software package for optimal solutions. Examples indicate that our partitioning model is a superset of the existing schemes and the proposed hierarchical scheduling scheme can outperform the conventional one-level linear schedule.     

Analog Switches in Programmable Analog Devices: Quiescent Defective Behaviours

Analog Switches (AS) play an essential role in a large number of Mixed-Signal circuits. Depending on the use of AS, designers have optimised their topology to meet the needs of each specific switching function. Furthermore, the success of Field Programmable devices in the digital domain (FPGAs) has motivated some manufacturers to explore similar solutions to fast prototype in the Analog and Mixed Signal domains. In this work, we explore the defective behaviours of programmable AS under realistic catastrophic and parametric defects. A classification of the DC defective behaviours for bridging and open defects is presented. This classification shows that the simple fault model with faulty state of permanently transistor stuck-on or stuck-off is not sufficient to reflect the real behaviour of a defective switch. It has also been found that parametric defects such as threshold voltage variations are not DC testable, and would therefore require additional AC tests.     

Perspectives on Analytical Modeling of Small Geometry MOSFETs in SPICE for Low Voltage/Low Power CMOS Circuit Design

The present state of the art in analytical MOSFET modeling for SPICE circuit simulation is reviewed, with emphasis on the circuit design usage of these models. It is noted that the model formulation represents an upper limit of what is possible from any type of model, but that good parameter extraction is required to most closely approach that limit. The individual model types presently in common use are examined, with discussion of the behavior of each model, its strengths and weaknesses, its applicability to certain types of circuits, and criteria that a circuit design consumer can employ to judge a model before using it for circuit design. Some related issues, such as node charge and gate capacitance modeling, charge conservation, and statistical simulation of process variations, are also evaluated. Finally, new trends, directions, and requirements of MOSFET modeling for circuit simulation are considered.     

Immittance-type tabular stability test for 2-D LSI systems based on a zero location test for 1-D complex polynomials

A new algebraic test is developed to determine whether or not a two-variable (2-D) characteristic polynomial of a recursive linear shift invariant (LSI, discrete-time) system is stable (i.e., it does not vanish in the closed exterior of the unit bi-circle). The method is based on the original form of a unit-circle zero location test for one variable (1-D) polynomials with complex coefficients proposed by the author. The test requires the construction of a table, in the form of a sequence of centrosymmetric matrices or 2-D polynomials, that is obtained using a certain three-term recursion, and examination of the zero location with respect to the unit circle of a few associated 1-D polynomials. The minimal set necessary and sufficient conditions for 2-D stability involves one 1-D polynomial whose zeros must reside inside the unit circle (which may be examined before the table is constructed), and one symmetric 1-D polynomial (which becomes available after completing the table) that is required not to have zeros on the unit circle. A larger set of intermediate necessary conditions for stability (which may be examined during the table's construction) are also given. The test compares favorably with Jury's recently improved 2-D stability test in terms of complexity and munerical stability.     

Merging a DSP-Oriented Signal Integrity Technique and SW-Based Fault Handling Mechanisms to Ensure Reliable DSP Systems

Hereafter, we present an approach aiming to improve the reliability of digital signal processing (DSP) systems operating in real noisy (electromagnetic interference—EMI) environments. The approach is based on the coupling of two techniques: the DSP-oriented signal integrity improvement technique deals with increasing the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and is essentially a modification of the classic Recovery Blocks Scheme. The second technique, named SW-based fault handling aims to detect in real-time data- and control-flow faults throughout modifications of the processor code. When compared to conventional approaches using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and Hamming Code, the primary benefit of such an approach is to improve system reliability by means of a considerably low complexity, reasonably low performance degradation and, when implemented in hardware, with reduced area overhead. Aiming to illustrate the proposed approach, we implemented a HW/SW prototype to operate as a speech recognition system (SRS). This prototype was tested under a home-tailored EMI environment according to the IEC 61000-4-29 International Standard Normative. The obtained results indicate that the proposed approach can effectively improve the reliability of DSP systems operating in real noise (EMI) environments.     

Improved Approaches for Cost-Effective Traffic Grooming in WDM Ring Networks: Uniform-Traffic Case*

To fully utilize the capabilities of a SONET/ADM network, traffic grooming is needed to multiplex a number of lower-rate traffic streams into a higher-rate stream, and vice versa. Although the capacity of a SONET ring network can be upgraded by operating it over multiple wavelengths, the corresponding network design may be costly if it employs a large number of ADMs. A cost-effective design attempts to minimize the total number of ADMs used in the network while carrying the offered traffic. We introduce and evaluate the performance characteristics of two new traffic-grooming approaches for WDM ring networks, called single-hop and multihop. Our single-hop implementation uses the simulated-annealing heuristic. After placing all the traffic on virtual circles, we group the circles in order to reduce the number of ADMs in the network. Our multihop implementation places an ADM at each node based on the requested traffic in the traffic-demand matrix; then, it tries to groom the wavelengths which can be groomed. We select one of the nodes to be the hub node which has an ADM for each wavelength. The hub node, therefore, can bridge traffic between all of the wavelengths. Each algorithm is specified and illustrated by a simple example. Our results demonstrate that it is beneficial to use a single-hop approach based on simulated annealing for a small grooming ratio, but for a large grooming ratio and node number, we advocate the use of the multihop approach.     

The Future Generations of Mobile Communications Based on Broadband Access Methods

The forthcoming mobile communication systems are expected to provide much variety of services from high quality voice to high definition videos through high data rate wireless channels at anywhere in the world. High data rate requires broad frequency bands, and sufficient broadband can be achieved in higher frequency bands such as microwave, Ka-band and millimeter-wave. Broadband wireless channels have to be connected to broadband fixed networks such as the Internet and local area networks. The future generation systems will include not only cellular phones, but also many new types of communication systems such as broadband wireless access systems, millimeter-wave LAN, intelligent transport systems (ITS) and high altitude stratospheric platform station (HAPS) systems. The key words in the future generations of mobile communications are multimedia communications, wireless access to broadband fixed networks and seamless roaming among different systems. This article discusses the future generations mobile communication systems.     

Smart Substrate MCMs

This paper presents a cost-based assessment of the effectiveness of Smart Substrate MCM Systems. A Smart Substrate MCM System is one in which the substrate contains active circuitry for carrying out testing functions. The feasibility of using this approach is investigated. The Smart Substrate strategy is compared to an alternative approach based on the assumption that system components are perfect (Known Good Die (KGD) approach). The obtained results identify the domain of applicability of Smart substrate MCMs and point to limitations of the KGD approach.     

Personal Imaging and lookpainting as tools for personal documentary and investigative photojournalism

A means and apparatus for covert capture of extremely highresolution photorealistic images is presented. The apparatus embodies a new form of userinterface – instead of the traditional point and click metaphor which was thought to be the simplest photography had to offer, what is proposed is a look metaphor in which images are generated through the natural process of looking around, in a manner that does not require conscious thought or effort. These lookpaintings become photographic/videographic memories that may, at times, exceed the quality attainable with even large and cumbersome professional photographic film cameras, yet they may be captured through a device that resembles ordinary sunglasses. The method is based on longterm psychophysical adaptation using a covert sunglassbased realitymediating apparatus, together with two new results in image processing. The first new result is a means of estimating the true projective coordinate transformation between successive pairs of images, and the second is that of estimating, to within a single unknown scalar constant, the quantity of light arriving at the image plane. Furthermore, what is captured is more than just a picture. The resulting environment map may be explored by one or more remote participants who may also correspond and interact with the wearer during the actual shooting process, giving rise to computer supported collaborative (collective) photography, videography, shared photographic/videographic memory, etc.     

mPERSONA: Personalized Portals for the Wireless User: An Agent Approach

The needs of the wireless and mobile user regarding information access and services are quite different than those of the desktop user. This need is not about browsing the Web but about receiving personalized services that are highly sensitive to the immediate environment and requirements of the user. Personalization appears to be the most appropriate solution to this need. It comes into aid by creating personalized portals that are specific for the wireless user, which (a) are focus on the local content and (b) directly tones down factors that break up the functionally of the Internet/wireless services when viewed through wireless devices; factors like the click count, user response time (the choice factor) and the size of the wireless network traffic. In this paper we present a flexible personalization system for the wireless user that takes into consideration user mobility, the local environment and the user and device profile. The system utilizes the various characteristics of mobile agents to support flexibility, scalability, modularity and user mobility. We present metrics appropriate to the wireless environment, and an initial performance evaluation indicating improvement ranging from 33% up to, for certain metrics, 60%.     

A necessary and sufficient condition for right coprime factorization of nonlinear feedback systems

In this short note, we establish a simple, yet precise, necessary and sufficient condition for the right coprime factorization of a nonlinear feedback control system. As a consequence, we also obtain similar conditions for the stable right coprime factorizations of the nonlinear feedback control system.     

Recursive estimation of two-dimensional processes with application to image processing

A low order quarter-plane-causal recursive model is presented to represent the class of 2-D stationary Gaussian processes with power spectra matrices factorable into a quarter-plane-causal and anti-causal parts. This model is used to develop a technique for obtaining optimal 2-D recursive estimators. The approach taken here is similar to Attasi's [8], with no commutability condition imposed on the model. Circumventing this condition allows the modeling of the 2-D processes to be achieved with fewer parameters, and enables one to find the solutions to the problems of blur and color noise which are inherent in most image degraded images. Some simulated examples illustrate these points.This research was supported in part by the U.S. Army Research Grant DAAG29-79-C-0054 and the National Science Foundation Grant ECS-8011911.     

The CAM-Brain Machine (CBM): Real Time Evolution and Update of a 75 Million Neuron FPGA-Based Artificial Brain

This article introduces ATR's CAM-Brain Machine (CBM), an FPGA based piece of hardware which implements a genetic algorithm (GA) to evolve a cellular automata (CA) based neural network circuit module, of approximately 1,000 neurons, in about a second, i.e. a complete run of a GA, with 10,000 s of circuit growths and performance evaluations. Up to 65,000 of these modules, each of which is evolved with a humanly specified function, can be downloaded into a large RAM space, and interconnected according to humanly specified artificial brain architectures. This RAM, containing an artificial brain with up to 75 million neurons, is then updated by the CBM at a rate of 130 billion CA cells per second. Such speeds should enable real time control of robots and hopefully the birth of a new research field that we call brain building. The first such artificial brain, to be built by ATR starting in 2000, will be used to control the behaviors of a life sized robot kitten called Robokoneko.