On using forward error correction for loss recovery in optical burst switched networks

An important issue in optical burst switched (OBS) networks is the loss of bursts at intermediate nodes due to contention. Such contention losses, usually do not mean a situation of congestion. In this paper, we propose for the first time, a loss recovery mechanism using Forward Error Correction (FEC) to recover bursts that are lost due to contention. Using FEC, for every K bursts, N − K redundant bursts are also sent to the destination. This redundancy can be used to recover from losses in the K data bursts. Our mechanism can also be used to recover from losses due to network component (link/node) failures. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our mechanism by comparing with no protection and 1 + 1 protection using simulation studies.     

Loop-free traffic engineering with path protection in MPLS VPNs

In this paper we present a new approach for VPN (virtual private network) traffic engineering with path protection in Multiprotocol Label Switching networks carrying QoS and best effort traffic. Our approach eliminates the path cycles, a problem often encountered in link-based traffic engineering methods. It also allows for control of the maximum path length and the size of the label space in each label switch router. We consider off-line computation of the working and backup paths using a link-based approach. Two cases of 1 + 1 and 1:1 path protection are considered. Numerical results are presented to show the efficacy of the algorithm in calculating link-disjoint and node-disjoint primary and backup paths for the QoS traffic.     

Search space reduction in QoS routing

To provide real-time service or engineer constrained-based paths, networks require the underlying routing algorithm to be able to find low-cost paths that satisfy given quality-of-service constraints. However, the problem of constrained shortest (least-cost) path routing is known to be NP-hard, and some heuristics have been proposed to find a near-optimal solution. However, these heuristics either impose relationships among the link metrics to reduce the complexity of the problem which may limit the general applicability of the heuristic, or are too costly in terms of execution time to be applicable to large networks. In this paper, we focus on solving the delay-constrained minimum-cost path problem, and present a fast algorithm to find a near-optimal solution. This algorithm, called delay-cost-constrained routing (DCCR), is a variant of the k-shortest-path algorithm. DCCR uses a new adaptive path weight function together with an additional constraint imposed on the path cost, to restrict the search space. Thus, DCCR can return a near-optimal solution in a very short time. Furthermore, we use a variant of the Lagrangian relaxation method proposed by Handler and Zang [Networks 10 (1980) 293] to further reduce the search space by using a tighter bound on path cost. This makes our algorithm more accurate and even faster. We call this improved algorithm search space reduction + DCCR (SSR + DCCR). Through extensive simulations, we confirm that SSR + DCCR performs very well compared to the optimal but very expensive solution.     

Guided local search as a network planning algorithm that incorporates uncertain traffic demands

A search based heuristic for the optimisation of communication networks where traffic forecasts are uncertain and the problem is NP-complete is presented. While algorithms such as genetic algorithms (GA) and simulated annealing (SA) are often used for this class of problem, this work applies a combination of newer optimisation techniques specifically: fast local search (FLS) as an improved hill climbing method and guided local search (GLS) to allow escape from local minima. The GLS + FLS combination is compared with an optimised GA and SA approaches. It is found that in terms of implementation, the parameterisation of the GLS + FLS technique is significantly simpler than that for a GA and SA. Also, the self-regularisation feature of the GLS + FLS approach provides a distinctive advantage over the other techniques which require manual parameterisation. To compare numerical performance, the three techniques were tested over a number of network sets varying in size, number of switch circuit demands (network bandwidth demands) and levels of uncertainties on the switch circuit demands. The results show that the GLS + FLS outperforms the GA and SA techniques in terms of both solution quality and optimisation speed but even more importantly GLS + FLS has significantly reduced parameterisation time.     

Network protection codes: Providing self-healing in autonomic networks using network coding

Agile recovery from link failures in autonomic communication networks is essential to increase robustness, accessibility, and reliability of data transmission. However, this must be done with the least amount of protection resources, while using simple management plane functionalities. Recently, network coding has been proposed as a solution to provide agile and cost efficient self-healing against link failures, in a manner that does not require data rerouting, packet retransmission, or failure localization, hence leading to simple control and management planes. To achieve this, separate paths have to be provisioned to carry encoded packets, hence requiring either the addition of extra links, or reserving some of the resources for this purpose.In this paper we introduce self-healing strategies for autonomic networks in order to protect against link failures. The strategies are based on network coding and reduced capacity, which is a technique that we call network protection codes (NPC). In these strategies, an autonomic network is able to provide self-healing from various network failures affecting network operation. Also, network protection codes are extended to provide self-healing from multiple link failures in autonomic networks. Although this leads to reducing the network capacity, the network capacity reduction is asymptotically small in most cases of practical interest. We provide implementation aspects of the proposed strategies, derive bounds and show how to construct network protection code. The paper also develops an Integer Linear Program formulation to evaluate the cost of provisioning connections using the proposed strategies, and uses results from this formulation to show that it is more resource efficient than 1 + 1 protection. A simulation study to evaluate the recovery times, and the buffering requirements due to network coding is also conducted using the OPNET simulator.     

On design and performance evaluation of an integrated SIP and HCoP-B architecture for nested network mobility

This paper proposes a fully-integrated SIP + HCoP-B architecture to provide efficient mobility management of the nested mobile network. It achieves the following merits, which are rare in the literature. First, it reduces network deployment costs by only equipping an integrated SIP mobile server. Second, it supports both SIP-based and non-SIP-based applications. Third, by adopting the analytical model proposed in Mohanty and Akyildiz (2007) [19], mathematical analyses are provided to investigate six performance metrics of SIP + HCoP-B and the other four well-known SIP's over NEMO schemes over the error-prone wireless link. Finally, it is shown that SIP + HCoP-B outperforms these four traditional schemes through intensive simulations.     

Energy efficiency analysis of high speed triple-play services in next-generation PON deployments

In this paper, the energy consumption of high speed access services up to 1 Gb/s per customer is estimated for different passive optical network (PON) technologies. While other studies on PON power consumption typically assume a fixed split ratio, we also consider a greenfield approach, where the split ratio can be optimized for each technology, taking full advantage of its capacity and reach. The split ratio optimization takes into account Quality of Service (QoS) in terms of bandwidth availability and packet loss for triple-play services (voice, television and Internet). This paper includes an in-depth discussion of our split ratio dimensioning approach and our power consumption model for an optical access network in a major city. The obtained results show that statistical gain provided by dynamic bandwidth allocation as well as power splitting ratio optimization in PONs are key factors for achieving energy efficiency. For access rates up to 900 Mb/s, XG-PON1 turns out to be the most energy efficient option. For higher access rates up to 1 Gb/s, the optimal technology depends on split ratio restrictions. If an existing optical distribution network (ODN) with split ratio 1:64 is used, XG-PON1 remains the most energy efficient technology. If higher split ratios up to 1:256 can be achieved, TWDM PON becomes the most energy efficient solution for access rates up to 1 Gb/s.     

Objective quality definition of scalable video coding and its application for optimal streaming of FGS-coded videos

With the proliferation of video contents widely distributed over the Internet and the progress of video coding (e.g., H.264/AVC) and transmission technologies, more challenges need to overcome in order to meet the requirements of all users with diverse terminals. Video streaming over IP and wireless becomes a popular issue since the new century.However, there is little work concerning the quantitative analysis on the objective quality of streaming videos. Thus a strict definition of the objective quality and quality variation of scalable video coding (SVC) is required, in order to efficiently transmit video contents over Internet and wireless and reach an attainable subjective quality perception for end-users. Since FGS (fine granularity scalability) video is coded in bit planes, its enhancing layer can be truncated arbitrarily, as a case study of scalable video coding, an objective quality definition for FGS-coded video is introduced in this paper, based on MSE (mean square error) and PSNR (peak signal-to-noise ratio). This definition can also be generalized to any layered scalable coding videos, such as the traditional layered videos in BL + ELs (base layer + enhancing layers) formats or H.264/AVC in BL + CGS (coarse granularity scalability) + FGS structures, and it can be applied to design optimal algorithms for video streaming. Furthermore, It can also be taken as a measure to assess the subjective quality of streaming videos, by incorporating user preferences and terminal capacities.According to this definition, a quality optimal problem of scene in video segments is formulated and solved using the state transfer graph and dynamic programming. The optimal transmission policy is also obtained and compared with a real-time transmission algorithm. Different aggregation levels (segmentation granularity) of video segments for optimal transmission are also examined by experimental data. Simulation results validate our observations.     

Fiber optics sensor for sub-nanometric displacement and wide bandwidth systems

In this paper, we report fiber optics sensor with sub-nanometric resolution and wide bandwidth. It relies on an increase of the reception fibers number and on low-noise electronics. Moreover, a reference channel has been implemented using a semi-reflective plate to eliminate the source fluctuations and the fiber sensor was isolated to limit external influence of temperature and pressure. Thus we achieve both a sub-nanometric resolution on a 400 ms integration time and a long-term drift as low as 40 nm h^?1. The setup has been also adapted to high speed applications by increasing the bandwidth up to 38 kHz. It can display a 28 nm peak-to-peak limit of resolution on an aluminized piezoactuator. It has been successfully used to test the resonance frequency of a vibrating plate actuated by two high-frequency prototypes of piezoactuators. These improvements lead to low cost fibers optic sensors interesting for non-contact displacement measurements with high sensitivity.     

Efficient multicast schemes for 3-D Networks-on-Chip

3-D Networks-on-Chip (NoCs) have been proposed as a potent solution to address both the interconnection and design complexity problems facing future System-on-Chip (SoC) designs. In this paper, two topology-aware multicast routing algorithms, Multicasting XYZ (MXYZ) and Alternative XYZ (AL + XYZ) algorithms in supporting of 3-D NoC are proposed. In essence, MXYZ is a simple dimension order multicast routing algorithm that targets 3-D NoC systems built upon regular topologies. To support multicast routing in irregular regions, AL + XYZ can be applied, where an alternative output channel is sought to forward/replicate the packets whenever the output channel determined by MXYZ is not available. To evaluate the performance of MXYZ and AL + XYZ, extensive experiments have been conducted by comparing MXYZ and AL + XYZ against a path-based multicast routing algorithm and an irregular region oriented multiple unicast routing algorithm, respectively. The experimental results confirm that the proposed MXYZ and AL + XYZ schemes, respectively, have lower latency and power consumption than the other two routing algorithms, meriting the two proposed algorithms to be more suitable for supporting multicasting in 3-D NoC systems. In addition, the hardware implementation cost of AL + XYZ is shown to be quite modest.     

Credit rating by hybrid machine learning techniques

It is very important for financial institutions to develop credit rating systems to help them to decide whether to grant credit to consumers before issuing loans. In literature, statistical and machine learning techniques for credit rating have been extensively studied. Recent studies focusing on hybrid models by combining different machine learning techniques have shown promising results. However, there are various types of combination methods to develop hybrid models. It is unknown that which hybrid machine learning model can perform the best in credit rating. In this paper, four different types of hybrid models are compared by ‘Classification + Classification’, ‘Classification + Clustering’, ‘Clustering + Classification’, and ‘Clustering + Clustering’ techniques, respectively. A real world dataset from a bank in Taiwan is considered for the experiment. The experimental results show that the ‘Classification + Classification’ hybrid model based on the combination of logistic regression and neural networks can provide the highest prediction accuracy and maximize the profit.     

Energy-efficient topology control algorithm for maximizing network lifetime in wireless sensor networks with mobile sink

Uneven energy consumption is an inherent problem in wireless sensor networks characterized by multi-hop routing and many-to-one traffic pattern. Such unbalanced energy dissipation can significantly reduce network lifetime. In this paper, we study the problem of prolonging network lifetime in large-scale wireless sensor networks where a mobile sink gathers data periodically along the predefined path and each sensor node uploads its data to the mobile sink over a multi-hop communication path. By using greedy policy and dynamic programming, we propose a heuristic topology control algorithm with time complexity O(n(m + n log n)), where n and m are the number of nodes and edges in the network, respectively, and further discuss how to refine our algorithm to satisfy practical requirements such as distributed computing and transmission timeliness. Theoretical analysis and experimental results show that our algorithm is superior to several earlier algorithms for extending network lifetime.     

Speech emotion recognition: Features and classification models

To solve the speaker independent emotion recognition problem, a three-level speech emotion recognition model is proposed to classify six speech emotions, including sadness, anger, surprise, fear, happiness and disgust from coarse to fine. For each level, appropriate features are selected from 288 candidates by using Fisher rate which is also regarded as input parameter for Support Vector Machine (SVM). In order to evaluate the proposed system, principal component analysis (PCA) for dimension reduction and artificial neural network (ANN) for classification are adopted to design four comparative experiments, including Fisher + SVM, PCA + SVM, Fisher + ANN, PCA + ANN. The experimental results proved that Fisher is better than PCA for dimension reduction, and SVM is more expansible than ANN for speaker independent speech emotion recognition. The average recognition rates for each level are 86.5%, 68.5% and 50.2% respectively.     

Detailed check of the LDA + U and GGA + U corrected method for defect calculations in wurtzite ZnO

Based on a detailed check of the LDA + U and GGA + U corrected methods, we found that the transition energy levels depend almost linearly on the effective U parameter. GGA + U seems to be better than LDA + U, with effective U parameter of about 5.0 eV. However, though the results between LDA and GGA are very different before correction, the corrected transition energy levels spread less than 0.3 eV. These more or less consistent results indicate the necessity and validity of LDA + U and GGA + U correction.     

Guaranteeing hard real-time traffic with legitimately short deadlines with the timed token protocol

Synchronous bandwidth, defined as the maximum time a node is allowed to send its synchronous messages while holding the token, is a sensitive parameter for deadline guarantees of synchronous messages in any timed token network. In order to offer such guarantees, synchronous bandwidth has to be allocated carefully to each individual node. This paper studies the synchronous bandwidth allocated to those synchronous message streams whose deadlines are less than twice the Target Token Rotation Time (TTRT). A new approach for allocating synchronous bandwidth to such streams, which can be used with any previously published local synchronous bandwidth allocation (SBA) for guaranteeing a general synchronous message set with its minimum deadline (D_min) no less than 2 · TTRT, is proposed. The proposed scheme can be applied efficiently in practice to any general synchronous message set with D_min > TTRT. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the enhanced performance of this new local scheme over any of the previously published local SBA schemes.     

A two-dimensional optical cross-connect with integrated waveguides and surface micromachined crossbar switches

The design, fabrication and test results of an all-optical cross-connect, which uses electrostatically actuated micromechanical digital mirrors to steer optical signals in a network of planar waveguides, are presented. The substrate consists of a network of spliced planar waveguides on silica substrates. The switches, located at the waveguide intersections, are formed with an electroplated T-structure consisting of a horizontal perforated square plate suspended by four elastic beams. When operated, the horizontal plate is pulled up making the mirror move out of the optical path thus steering the beam. An 8×8 switch array has been fabricated and tested. Actuation and relaxation switching times near 3 ms have been demonstrated with an actuation voltage of 120 V. The optical insertion loss for the array typically varied from 2.3 dB for a single trench in the optical path (shortest optical path) to 8 dB for 15 trenches in the optical path (longest optical path).     

FAD and SPA: End-to-end link-level loss rate inference without infrastructure

It is highly desirable and important for end users, with no special privileges, to identify and pinpoint faults inside the network that degrade the performance of their applications. However, existing tools are inaccurate to infer the link-level loss rates and have large diagnosis granularity. To address these problems, we propose a suite of user-level diagnosis approaches in two categories: (1) the diagnosis tool needs to be deployed only at the source and (2) the tool has to be deployed at both source and destination. For the former, we propose two fragmentation aided diagnosis approaches (FAD), Algebraic FAD and Opportunistic FAD, which use IP fragmentation to enable accurate link-level loss rate inference. For the latter category, we propose Striped Probe Analysis (SPA) which significantly improves the diagnosis granularity over those of the source-only approaches. Internet experiments are applied to evaluate each individual scheme (including an improved version of the state-of-the-art tool, Tulip [R. Mahajan, N. Spring, D. Wetherall, T. Anderson, User-level internet path diagnosis, in: ACM SOSP, 2003]) and various hybrid approaches. The results indicate that our approaches dramatically outperform existing work (especially for diagnosis granularity). But more importantly, we show that combination of different individual approaches (e.g. OFAD + Tulip or OFAD + SPA) provide not only the best performance but also smooth tradeoff among deployment requirement, diagnosis accuracy and granularity.     

A novel hybrid 3D video service algorithm based on scalable video coding (SVC) technology

A scalable video coding (SVC) server can simultaneously provide a single bitstream with a fixed maximum service layer for different kinds of devices having different memory capacity, network bandwidth, and CPU performance requirements. An efficient hybrid 3D video service scheme is proposed without violation of the SVC standard technology for multiple transmission paths. A dynamic local disparity vector estimation algorithm is used to reflect the motion shift component between stereo views in the inter-layer prediction stage of the SVC encoder. To improve the coding efficiency, an adaptive search scheme based on distortion rates (DRs) between corresponding and reference macroblocks is used. Based on experimental results, up to 1.41 dB of quality improvement using JSVM 9.19 reference software is verified.     

Bounds for the Roots of Lacunary Polynomials

A polynomial P(X)  = X^d + a_d − 1X^d − 1 + ⋯ is called lacunary when a_d − 1 =  0. We give bounds for the roots of such polynomials with complex coefficients. These bounds are much smaller than for general polynomials.     

Numerical resolution of discontinuous Galerkin methods for time dependent wave equations

The discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method is known to provide good wave resolution properties, especially for long time simulation. In this paper, using Fourier analysis, we provide a quantitative error analysis for the semi-discrete DG method applied to time dependent linear convection equations with periodic boundary conditions. We apply the same technique to show that the error is of order k + 2 superconvergent at Radau points on each element and of order 2k + 1 superconvergent at the downwind point of each element, when using piecewise polynomials of degree k. An analysis of the fully discretized approximation is also provided. We compute the number of points per wavelength required to obtain a fixed error for several fully discrete schemes. Numerical results are provided to verify our error analysis.