Congestion control based dynamic routing in ATM networks

In this paper we describe briefly a dynamic multi-path algorithm that has been considered for connection oriented asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) networks. Our scheme takes advantage of a cell multiplexing capability that has particular advantage in networks supporting variable bit rate (VBR) traffic. The fundamental objective of the scheme is to propose a congestion control based scheme that bridges the gap between routing and congestion control as the network becomes congested. The proposed routing scheme works as a shortest path first algorithm under light traffic conditions. However, as the shortest path becomes congested under unbalanced heavy traffic, the source uses multiple paths when and if available to distribute the calls and reduce cell loss. This mechanism will provide good Quality of Service for clients within the given constraints. We compare the performance of the proposed scheme with other competitive schemes. The throughput and cell loss performance are compared via simulations. These have been carried out concentrating on a five node network, each with varying traffic patterns, with the intention of gaining insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the various schemes.     

Energy efficient transmission scheduling for infrastructure sensor nodes in location systems

This paper considers a location system where a number of deployed sensor nodes collaborate with objects that need to be localized. Unlike existing works, we focus on reducing the energy consumption of the sensor nodes, which are assumed to be static and run on limited battery power. To minimize the total wake-up time of the sensor nodes, we control the transmission schedule of each object. Because it is difficult to find an optimal solution to the considered optimization problem, we consider an approach to this problem that consists of two steps: (1) create an equivalent modified graph coloring subproblem, and (2) permute the coloring result to obtain a best possible solution. We adopt some existing graph coloring algorithms for step 1 and find two properties of optimal schedules that can be used to confine the search space for step 2. Additionally, we propose a heuristic algorithm that aims at significantly reducing the complexity for the case where the confined search space is still too large. The performance of our heuristic algorithm is evaluated through extensive simulations. It is shown that its performance is comparable to that of the simulated annealing algorithm, which gives a near-optimal solution.     

Multiaccess scheme to ensure security in CDMA-based wireless LANs

A new slotted CDMA-based multiple access scheme for wireless LANs is proposed to provide enhanced security. The new multiple access scheme significantly improves the security of the system by creating chip sequences from two linear feedback shift registers.     

Functional features of an ssi signal of plasmid pGKV21 in Escherichia coli

A single-strand initiation (ssi) signal was detected on the Lactococcus lactis plasmid pGKV21 containing the replicon of pWV01 by its ability to complement the poor growth of an M13 phage derivative (M13 delta lac182) lacking the complementary-strand origin in Escherichia coli. This ssi signal was situated at the 229-nucleotide (nt) DdeI-DraI fragment and located within the 109 nt upstream of the nick site of the putative plus origin. SSI activity is orientation specific with respect to the direction of replication. We constructed an ssi signal-deleted plasmid and then examined the effects of the ssi signal on the conversion of the single-stranded replication intermediate to double-stranded plasmid DNA in E. coli. The plasmid lacking an ssi signal accumulated much more plasmid single-stranded DNA than the wild-type plasmid did. Moreover, deletion of this region caused a great reduction in plasmid copy number or plasmid maintenance. These results suggest that in E. coli, this ssi signal directs its lagging-strand synthesis as a minus origin of plasmid pGKV21. Primer RNA synthesis in vitro suggests that E. coli RNA polymerase directly recognizes the 229-nt ssi signal and synthesizes primer RNA dependent on the presence of E. coli single-stranded DNA binding (SSB) protein. This region contains two stem-loop structures, stem-loop I and stem-loop II. Deletion of stem-loop I portion results in loss of priming activity by E. coli RNA polymerase, suggesting that stem-loop I portion is essential for priming by E. coli RNA polymerase on the SSB-coated single-stranded DNA template.     

Delay-Sensitive Packet Scheduling for a Wireless Access Link

As the delay is a critical QoS factor, packet scheduling over a wireless access link that often becomes congested needs to have the objective of meeting each user's delay requirement. To incorporate the delay into the scheduler design, we consider the objective of maximizing the total utility (U_T). However, since a utility-based scheduler that concerns delay requires high complexity, we introduce the concept of marginal utility. Representing the objective as minimizing the total marginal utility (M_T), we develop some related properties for maximizing U_T and minimizing M_T. For the case with fixed service time, we show that the outcome of M_T minimization becomes equivalent to that of U_T maximization. For the more complicated case of varying service time, the M_T minimization sheds light on the design of a simple scheduler. Overall, the marginal utility requires significantly low complexity for packet scheduling compared to the ordinary utility. Through simulations, we confirm that the marginal utility gives a way of flexible scheduling in meeting various delay requirements.     

Multichannel random access in OFDMA wireless networks

Orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) systems are considered promising candidates for implementing next-generation wireless communication systems. They provide multiple channels that can be accessed via random access schemes. However, traditional random access schemes could result in an excessive amount of access delay. To address this issue, we develop a fast retrial scheme that is based on slotted Aloha and exploits the structure of OFDMA. A salient feature of this scheme is that when collisions occur instead of retrials occuring randomly in time, they occur randomly in frequency, i.e., the scheme randomly selects the subchannels for retrial. To further achieve fast access, retrials are designed to follow the 1-persistent type, i.e., no exponential backoff. To achieve the maximum throughput, we limit the maximum number of allowed retrials according to the load condition. We also consider the issue of designing for an appropriate reuse factor for random access channels in order to overcome the intercell interference problem in OFDMA multicell environments. Our finding is that full sharing, i.e., a reuse factor of one, performs best for given random access channels. Through analysis and simulation, we confirm that our fast retrial algorithm has the advantage of high throughput and low access delay, and the full sharing policy for random access channels shows high throughput as well as low collision.     

Determination of Geometrical Length of Airborne Carbon Nanotubes by Electron Microscopy,Model Calculation,and Filtration Method

The geometrical length of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is of significant importance and this study aims at its fast determination. We evaluated a method to determine the geometrical length of CNTs by electrical mobility classification and developed a filtration based method. The measurement was carried out in air and the suitable generation method for airborne CNTs from liquid suspensions was investigated, followed by a proper control of the CNT dispersion degree by changing the CNT concentration in the liquid suspension. Airborne CNTs were generated by an atomizer, classified by a differential mobility analyzer and characterized by electron microscopy. The CNT geometrical lengths measured by electron microscopy served as the basis for comparison with other methods. Two theoretical models (Lall and Friedlander 2006; Li et al. 2012) for elongated particles were investigated and the comparison showed good agreement. This demonstrated the validity of the approach to determine the CNT length by the combination of mobility measurement and model calculation. The newly developed method, which employed a filtration model with uniform screens, showed comparable results with the CNT lengths as obtained from the electron microscopy.

Copyright 2013 American Association for Aerosol Research     

Seebeck Enhancement Through Miniband Conduction in III–V Semiconductor Superlattices at Low Temperatures

We present theoretically that the cross-plane Seebeck coefficient of InGaAs/InGaAlAs III?CV semiconductor superlattices can be significantly enhanced through miniband transport at low temperatures. The miniband dispersion curves are calculated by self-consistently solving the Schr?dinger equation with the periodic potential, and the Poisson equation taking into account the charge transfer between the two layers. Boltzmann transport in the relaxation-time approximation is used to calculate the thermoelectric transport properties in the cross-plane direction based on the modified density of states and group velocity. It is found that the cross-plane Seebeck coefficient can be enhanced more than 60% over the bulk values at an equivalent doping level at 80?K when the Fermi level is aligned at an edge of the minibands. Other thermoelectric transport properties are also calculated and discussed to further enhance the thermoelectric power factor.