A new distributed approximation algorithm for constructing minimum connected dominating set in wireless ad hoc networks

In recent years, constructing a virtual backbone by nodes in a connected dominating set (CDS) has been proposed to improve the performance of ad hoc wireless networks. In general, a dominating set satisfies that every vertex in the graph is either in the set or adjacent to a vertex in the set. A CDS is a dominating set that also induces a connected sub‐graph. However, finding the minimum connected dominating set (MCDS) is a well‐known NP‐hard problem in graph theory. Approximation algorithms for MCDS have been proposed in the literature. Most of these algorithms suffer from a poor approximation ratio, and from high time complexity and message complexity. In this paper, we present a new distributed approximation algorithm that constructs a MCDS for wireless ad hoc networks based on a maximal independent set (MIS). Our algorithm, which is fully localized, has a constant approximation ratio, and O(n) time and O(n) message complexity. In this algorithm, each node only requires the knowledge of its one‐hop neighbours and there is only one shortest path connecting two dominators that are at most three hops away. We not only give theoretical performance analysis for our algorithm, but also conduct extensive simulation to compare our algorithm with other algorithms in the literature. Simulation results and theoretical analysis show that our algorithm has better efficiency and performance than others. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Probabilistic output admissible set for systems with time-varying uncertainties

This paper considers time-varying uncertain constrained systems, and develops a method for computing a probabilistic output admissible (POA) set. This set consists of the initial states probabilistically assured to satisfy the constraint. The time-invariant counterpart has already been investigated in Hatanaka and Takaba [Computations of probabilistic output admissible set for uncertain constrained systems, Automatica 44 (2) (2008), to appear]. We first define the POA set for time-varying uncertainties with finite dimensional probability space. Then, we show that an algorithm similar to Hatanaka and Takaba [Computations of probabilistic output admissible set for uncertain constrained systems, Automatica 44 (2) (2008), to appear] provides the POA set also in the time-varying case, as long as an upper bound of a what we call future output admissibility (FOA) index is available. We moreover present two methods for computing the upper bound of the FOA index: probabilistic and deterministic methods. A numerical simulation demonstrates the effectiveness of our algorithm.     

Analysis of an algorithm for solution of conditional optimization problems with linear-fractional objective functions over permutations

A method is considered to solve a conditional optimization problem with a linear-fractional objective function over permutations. The performance of sub algorithms to solve this problem is evaluated. The practical efficiency of the algorithm is analyzed by conducting numerical experiments. __________ Translated from Kibernetika i Sistemnyi Analiz, No. 4, pp. 133–146, July–August 2007.     

A new stereological principle for test lines in three-dimensional space

A new principle is presented to generate isotropic uniform random (IUR) test lines hitting a geometric structure in three-dimensional space (3D). The principle therefore concerns the estimation of surface area, volume, membrane thickness, etc., of arbitrary structures with piecewise smooth boundary. The principle states that a point-sampled test line on an isotropic plane through a fixed point in 3D is effectively an invariant test line in 3D. Particular attention is devoted to the stereology of particles, where an alternative to the surfactor method is obtained to estimate surface area. An interesting case arises when the particle is convex. The methods are illustrated with synthetic examples.     

A classification of tournaments having an acyclic tournament as a minimum feedback arc set

Given a tournament with an acyclic tournament as a feedback arc set we give necessary and sufficient conditions for this feedback arc set to have minimum size.     

Product Evaluation Knowledge Acquisition Based on Rough Sets

1 Introduction Acquiring knowledge is constantly encountered in the mechanical product evaluation process, such as during setting up evaluation index system and determining evaluation knowledge. The most useful expression form of knowledge is production rule whenever concerning the field knowledge or decision knowledge. How to effectively acquire and express the knowledge becomes the issue that the evaluation work must solve at first. One of an important application of the rough set theory is …     

Level set and geodesic active contours based measurement of material removal between serial sections

The measurement of the thickness of material removed between serial sections is a crucial step of three-dimension reconstruction. Geodesic active contours is an efficient method for contour detection of objects on an image. The indents on the SiC/Al composite micrographs are segmented by using level set and geodesic active contours. After getting the contours of the indents, we calculate the distance from the uppermost pixel to the lowermost pixel to get the vertical diagonal length, and calculate the distance from the leftmost pixel to the rightmost pixel to get the horizontal diagonal length of each contour. Then the final length of each diagonal is acquired by averaging the vertical diagonal length and the horizontal diagonal length, respectively. The Vickers’ indenter is made by a square pyramidal-shaped diamond with opposite faces at an angle of 136°, so the thickness of material removed between two serial sections and the length difference of the diagonals on the two serial sections has a definite geometrical relation. Thus the thickness of material removed between two serial sections is acquired using the geometrical relation.     

Uncertainty,belief, and probability1

We introduce a new probabilistic approach to dealing with uncertainty, based on the observation that probability theory does not require that every event be assigned a probability. For a nonmeasurable event (one to which we do not assign a probability), we can talk about only the inner measure and outer measure of the event. In addition to removing the requirement that every event be assigned a probability, our approach circumvents other criticisms of probability-based approaches to uncertainty. For example, the measure of belief in an event turns out to be represented by an interval (defined by the inner and outer measures), rather than by a single number. Further, this approach allows us to assign a belief (inner measure) to an event E without committing to a belief about its negation -E (since the inner measure of an event plus the inner measure of its negation is not necessarily one). Interestingly enough, inner measures induced by probability measures turn out to correspond in a precise sense to Dempster-Shafer belief functions. Hence, in addition to providing promising new conceptual tools for dealing with uncertainty, our approach shows that a key part of the important Dempster-Shafer theory of evidence is firmly rooted in classical probability theory. Cet article présente une nouvelle approche probabiliste en ce qui concerne le traitement de l'incertitude; celle-ci est basée sur l'observation que la théorie des probabilityés n'exige pas qu'une probabilityé soit assignée à chaque événement. Dans le cas d'un événement non mesurable (un événement pour lequel on n'assigne aucune probabilityé), nous ne pouvons discuter que de la mesure intérieure et de la mesure extérieure de l'évenément. En plus d'éliminer la nécessité d'assigner une probabilityéà l'événement, cette nouvelle approche apporte une réponse aux autres critiques des approches à l'incertitude basées sur des probabilityés. Par exemple, la mesure de croyance dans un événement est représentée par un intervalle (défini par la mesure intérieure et extérieure) plutǒt que par un nombre unique. De plus, cette approche nous permet d'assigner une croyance (mesure intérieure) à un événement E sans se compromettre vers une croyance à propos de sa négation -E (puisque la mesure intérieure d'un événement et la mesure intérieure de sa négation ne sont pas nécessairement une seule et unique mesure). II est intéressant de noter que les mesures intérieures qui résultent des mesures de probabilityé correspondent d'une manière précise aux fonctions de croyance de Dempster-Shafer. En plus de constituer un nouvel outil conceptuel prometteur dans le traitement de l'incertitude, cette approche démontre qu'une partie importante de la théorie de l'évidence de Dempster-Shafer est fermement ancrée dans la theorie classique des probabilityés.