bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Design and performance evaluation of flash memory back‐up systems
Authors: Takakura Hiroki , Kambayashi Yahiko , Kambayashi Yahiko
Published: July 2007

Main memory databases are a promising approach to the realization of high‐performance systems since they do not require low‐speed secondary storages. One of the critical problems of such systems is the volatile nature of main memory. Hence, nonvolatile secondary storage cannot be removed for back‐up and recovery. The authors have developed continuous back‐up systems which realize low‐overhead back‐up procedures and quick recovery.

A recent development has been flash memory, which can maintain its contents without electric power supply. It is expected that flash memory will realize high‐speed nonvolatile storage. There are, however, some characteristics which are different from disk storages. For example, in flash memory, the block size of a sequential access is very small, e.g., 256 bytes. Thus we cannot use sequential access to retrieve large amounts of data, although optimization to utilize sequential access need not be considered.

Although flash memory seems to be a good choice for secondary storages, the number of rewrites to a memory cell determines its lifetime. Current flash memory cannot be used as conventional secondary storage. Therefore, this paper discusses system architectures which utilize flash memory as back‐up storage. Special consideration is given to reducing the number of rewrite operations. It is expected that in the proposed systems, flash memory storage can survive over 10 years. Performance evaluation is also discussed.
A solution for combinational optimization problems using a two‐layer random field model‐mean‐field approximation
Authors: Igarashi Harukazu
Published: July 2007

In the solution of the combinational optimization problem such as the traveling salesman problem, the usual approach is to define the energy function, which consists of the term representing the cost to be minimized and the terms representing the constraint for the solution. It is important at this stage to define adequately the weight coefficients for the constraint terms. For this purpose, a solution method based on the two‐layer random field model has already been proposed.

However, it is desirable from the viewpoint of the processing speed to apply the deterministic annealing to the analog neuron system obtained by the mean‐ield approximation, rather than to apply directly the simulated annealing to the binary neuron system. In his case, it is important also to define adequately the weight coefficients in the energy function.

This paper considers the already proposed method which automatically adjusts the weight coefficients using the two‐layer random field model. An elaboration is presented which applies the method to the search of the optimal solution by the deterministic nnealing. In this study, the connection machine CM‐2), which is a SIMD‐type parallel computer, is used to handle the relatively large‐scale problem composed of 64 cities.
Motion extraction by spatiotemporal filtering of analytic signal derived from images and moving area tracking
Authors: Tanaka Kyoji , Shirai Yoshiaki
Published: July 2007

We propose a method for tracking a moving object in a specified direction from time sequence images which include multiple moving objects, assuming that a camera rotates to look at the specified object. First, an image analytic signal is generated by spatial‐Hilbert transform. The horizontal and vertical motion of specific velocities are extracted by spatiotemporal filters applied to the analytic signal. Although the impulse response function of a temporal filter for the analytic signal is complex, that of a spatial filter becomes real. The 2‐D motion component is computed from the extracted horizontal motion and the vertical motion. The tracking window is set to the high motion component area. Object tracking is performed by estimating the motion through an α‐β‐γ filter on the window.
Adaptive mesh generation for surface reconstruction—parallel hierarchical triangulation without cracks
Authors: Tanaka Hiromi T. , Kishino Fumio
Published: July 2007

This paper describes a method of precisely and effectively visualizing a complex 3‐dimensionally curved surface from a set of range data by using meshes (parallel hierarchical triangulation) which are adaptive to the degree of its complexity. The method can reconstruct the curved surface without cracks by approximating its intrinsic shape and discontinuity with a polygon. The algorithm used can be processed by fact parallel local calculations with an upper limit in time and space.

This paper proposes a parallel recursive algorithm for generating an adaptive mesh using a 3D‐curvature based on the intrinsic shape of an object, and another parallel recursive algorithm to avoid the formation of a crack which occurs between two subdivisions. Experimental results applied to range images of human faces are shown. The proposed method can be applied to general images (e.g., gray‐level image and color images) other than range images so that the compression or reconstruction of an image can be carried out by adaptively using its geometrical features (e.g., the pixel value, its first‐order differential, and second order differential).
Motion artifacts in the X‐ray CT image of a revolving point object
Authors: Sakamoto Takashi , Sato Shunsuke
Published: July 2007

To obtain the cross section of an object by using an X‐ray CT scanner, many projections of the object with various angles are required. This also takes time for scanning. If the object moves during this period, the projections would be disturbed causing motion artifact in the CT image. Understanding of their characteristics in relation to the movements of the objects will be useful for analyzing CT images and will supply new knowledge to medical diagnosis.

This paper investigates a reconstructed image of a point object which revolves around the center of a scanning area. The results show that the reconstructed image of the point object forms an epicycloid or hypocycloid (a curve on a plane) and this reduces with time. The same type of artifact is simulated by a computer, and this justifies the analysis.
Modeling of natural terrain based on fractal geometry
Authors: Arakawa Kenichi , Krotkov Eric
Published: July 2007

This paper proposes a method of modeling a natural terrain based on fractal geometry which can be applied to problems such as route planning for outdoor exploration by autonomous mobile robots. The method uses elevation data of a terrain which are derived from range data obtained by a scanning‐laser range‐finder at irregular positions. The method handles a problem of reconstruction of 3‐dimensional data with an arbitrary resolution and uncertainty.

Assuming that the terrain is fractal shape, the method solves the following modeling problems: (a) estimation of terrain roughness based on fractal Brownian function model; (b) reconstruction of the terrain surface adaptive to the roughness (using interpolation of elevation data with Maximum A Posteriori (MAP) estimation); and (c) estimation of uncertainty distribution of the elevation map of terrain using the Monte Carlo method. The solution of each problem is given. The usefulness of the method is confirmed by simulations and experiments using observational data.
A generalized algorithm for Japanese morphological analysis and a comparative evaluation of some heuristics
Authors: Hisamitsu Toru , Nitta Yoshihiko
Published: July 2007

In ordinary written Japanese, words are not separated by spaces. Therefore morphological analysis involves segmenting and tagging sentences. Since each sentence has a huge number of possible tagged segmentations, various criteria have been proposed for making plausible decisions. However, there are still no unified frameworks that incorporate various heuristics, and there has been no comparative evaluation of commonly used heuristics. This paper presents a clear framework to describe various heuristics, and an N‐best algorithm for extracting optimal solutions. The time complexity of this algorithm isO(nNlog2(1 +N)), wherenis the sentence length. The advantage of the N‐best algorithm over the standard beam search algorithm is also discussed. This paper also presents a comparative evaluation of three major heuristics, and proposes a precise and portable rule‐based heuristic. Estimation was done using the aforementioned algorithm and six criteria. The newly proposed heuristic is based upon the Extended Least Bunsetsu (Phrase) Number method.
Character recognition by the moments using associated legendre functions
Authors: Kawabe Hidekazu
Published: July 2007

An important problem in image recognition is extracting rotation in invariant features. Currently, a powerful technique based on Zernike moments is applied when the moments are used to address this problem. In this paper, we use associated Legendre functions of the first kind to derive moments and attempt to extract rotation invariant features based on them. These new moments are complex data as are Zernike moments and their basis functions are orthogonal functions. The images reconstructed from these moments demonstrated high quality than when using Zernike moments. Furthermore, evaluation functions suited to these moments are designed and image recognition tests are performed by several computer simulations. The results demonstrate the strong recognition ability for images degraded by noise or distortion, as well as illustrate features like recognition in regions of low degrees.
A concurrent learning algorithm of forward and inverse models using feedback error learning in the early stage
Authors: Yamaguchi Satoshi , Okazaki Nozomu , Itakura Hidekiyo
Published: July 2007

This paper proposes a concurrent learning algorithm for forward and inverse modeling. The algorithm is consisted of two phases. In the first phase, a feedback controller is used. The forward model is trained using the output values of the controller as the input values to the system and the inverse model is trained by the feedback error learning. In the second phase, the forward model and the inverse model are trained at the same time. By the simulation experiments in a two‐link manipulator, it is confirmed that our algorithm can converge faster than the ones already proposed.
An analysis of user‐consultant dialogues and its application to dialogue processing in a dialogue‐based consultant system
Authors: Kumamoto Tadahiko , Ito Akira
Published: July 2007

The authors are developing a dialogue‐based consultant system that helps a computer user perform his task on a computer through spoken dialogues. We collected dialogue data from dialogue experiments in which a human consultant, instead of the consultant system under development, provided support to novice computer users. In this paper, we analyze the dialogue data, and propose a dialogue processing method suited to the consultant system based on the results of the analysis. This method can manage a user‐computer system dialogue, the structure of which is a complex of dialogue patterns, and can guide a user to achieve his task goals by controlling system utterances.
Hierarchical variable‐block‐size motion detection with a constant average block size per frame
Authors: Kanamaru Toshifumi , Ogawa Yoshihiko , Shirakawa Tomoaki , Kitajima Hideo
Published: July 2007

This paper proposes a new motion detection method for image‐sequence processing. It consists of hierarchical variable‐block‐size motion detection with a constant average block size. It makes use of hierarchical images to detect motion vectors. The block size is decided by termination of motion search in a hierarchy level with a small matching error. The termination threshold is decided by the detection result in the highest hierarchy level. It can be set up according to a desired average block size per frame. Efficacy of the proposed method is confirmed by simulations on video coding.
Design and implementation of load‐balancing mechanism at command level on UNIX
Authors: Yamai Nariyoshi , Wakabayashi Susumu , Shimojo Shinji , Miyahara Hideo
Published: July 2007

This paper proposes a design and implementation of a new load‐balancing mechanism at the command level on UNIX operating systems. In this mechanism, only the command interpreter bash is modified to have a new command executed on the lightest‐loaded computer, and efficient load balancing is made without modifying the UNIX kernel or application program.

In the author's implementation, load is measured by statistics information server rstatd on each computer when a new command arrives, and the new command is assigned to the lightest‐loaded computer among the local host and the computers that respond faster than it. Using this method, loads can be balanced even when there is no idle computer, and the system can be made fault‐tolerant in the case where some machines are down. This mechanism also has network transparency, such as file location transparency and preservation of command execution environment, by using REX for remote execution, which is provided on many UNIX systems as one of the RPC (remote procedure call) services.
Performance characteristics of analog metal‐oxide semiconductor type neuroprocessor
Authors: Inoue Yoshihide , Taguchi Hideo , Kuroda Eizo
Published: July 2007

Technological requirements for excellent parallel distributed processing capability of central nervous system has increased recently. This has led to the development of neurosimulators, e.g., neurocomputers and neurochips integrated from artificial neuron combinations. However, in developing the neurosimulators, there is no established theory as to how to establish each individual artificial neuron activity function. In the development of a theory, artificial neuron combinations were trial‐produced using analog MOS devices. The characteristics of the Analog MOS artificial neurons are as follows:

They consist of equivalent electronic circuits for synapses on the dendrites, cell bodies, and axons, assuming the electrical properties of each section of the bioneuron produces a unique processing pattern.

They exhibit the same electrical performance (absolute refractory period, temporal and spatial weightings of the post synaptic potential, and pulse generation at the axon base) as the bioneurons.

The synaptic equivalent circuits are connected with learning systems to enable plastic input‐output characteristics by changing pulse transmission efficiency according to the input pulse frequencies. In the final research stage, the possibility of fundamental operations, such as filtering and phase shifting in the pulse frequency domain using a neuroprocessor comprising several analog MOS artificial neurons with different pulse transmission efficiencies was investigated.
WAKASHI/C: A storage system for multimedia database
Authors: Bai Guangyi , Amano Hirofumi , Makinouchi Akifumi
Published: July 2007

WAKASHI/C (centralized server version) is a sub‐system at the base level of the “Shusse Uo” project. It provided the C programmer with the basic functions to manipulate the distributed shared persistent data and the distributed shared volatile data. In WAKASHI/C, the virtual memory scheme and the distributed shared memory scheme are combined to realize the distributed shared persistent heap and the distributed and shared volatile heap, for the efficient handling of multimedia data.

This paper discusses the realization of WAKASHI/C corresponding to the distributed computing environment. To evaluate the performance for the manipulation of the multimedia database, the extended object operation benchmark is proposed, and the execution performance of WAKASHI/C is evaluated.
Characteristics measurement for three‐dimensional surfaces based on multiple filtering
Authors: Iwasaki Keisuke , Kishino Fumio
Published: July 2007

Matching a 3‐D shape to a model in a database is one of the main issues in 3‐D computer vision, along with indexing 3‐D objects for the teleconferencing with realistic sensations. Concerning this issue, one of the keys for reducing the error and computational cost in the matching step is to carry out robust characteristics measurement of the 3‐D shape. This paper proposes a new multiple spatial filtering based characteristics measurement technique for 3‐D surfaces, and presents experiments based on qualitative and quantitative analyses comparing characteristics obtained by the technique and conventional differential geometric characteristics.

This method uses the trajectories of a point on a surface caused by viewpoint invariant filtering. By using a set of low‐pass filters with multiple radii, the shape of the trajectory reflects some shape information around the point on the surface, from coarse to fine, while eliminating noise.

Basic concepts, the characteristics measurement technique, and experimental results will be shown.
PARTY: A numerical calculation method for a dynamically deformable cloth model
Authors: Sakaguchi Yoshiyuki , Minoh Michihiko , Ikeda Katsuo
Published: July 2007

A physically based environment of Artificial RealiTY for dress simulation (PARTY) which shows fully dressed humans in various environments is described. In PARTY, a dynamically deformable cloth model of a dress plays the central role. This paper proposes a new dynamically deformable cloth model that can handle actual nonlinear kinetic properties of cloth measured by mechanical experiments, and also propose a numerical method appropriate for PARTY. The numerical results of the Drape Test are compared with the shape of real cloth in experiments.
Characteristics of rotatory second order difference filter for computer aided diagnosis of medical images
Authors: Shimizu Akinobu , Toriwaki Jun‐Ichiro , Hasegawa Jun‐Ichi
Published: July 2007

This paper studies the performance of three kinds of rotatory second‐order difference filters by theoretical evaluation. The filters calculate, respectively, the minimum, the maximum, and the mean values of their outputs in several directions and have been used for enhancement of shadows in medical images. In this paper, the distribution functions of outputs of three filters are calculated on a model image, and the performance is evaluated. Moreover, applications to real medical images are presented to confirm the obtained results.
Tracking the context in man‐machine communication
Authors: Nishimura Toshikazu , Hirose Shoichi , Minoh Michihiko , Ikeda Katsuo
Published: July 2007

A method of tracking the context in man‐machine communication is proposed. The “tracking the context” is defined as locating the place of context switching and dividing the user's command sequence into chunks, each of which corresponds to one work. For tracking the context, “a syntactic‐context” is introduced. A syntactic‐context is a working set of words in the command lines a user enters. To locate the place of the syntactic‐context switching, word‐kind ratio and window contribution are defined. It is shown that the hit rate of command prediction is improved by using these indicators, which shows the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Multimodal dialogue system MultiksDial
Authors: Kamio Hiroyuki , Matsuura Hiroshi , Nitta Tsuneo , Masai Yasuyuki
Published: July 2007

This paper describes the multimodal dialogue system MultiksDial, which focuses on the speech input/output. In this system, the speech recognition unit and the touch panel are used as the means of input, and the Text‐To‐Speech (TTS) synthesizer and the display are used as the means of output. In other words, the features of the system are that both the input and the output are multimodal. As the auxiliary means of input, a photoelectric sensor is used to realize a smooth dialogue by monitoring the behavior of the user and by guiding the operation. An information guide system is implemented on MultiksDial, and the operability of the user interface is evaluated.

The following characteristics of the speech input are demonstrated as the result of the comparison experiment of the input mode. The direct indication by the speech input can execute the operation faster than the touch input, where the stepwise indication is required. Another point is that the beginner can execute? smooth dialogue by guiding the operation by the synthesized speech. By those results, it is verified that the multimodal implementation of the dialogue channel is useful in realizing an efficient dialogue between the user and the system.
Recovery of an SHGC shape and pose from shading and contour based on weak lambertian assumption
Authors: Nakamura Takayuki , Asada Minoru , Shirai Yoshiaki
Published: July 2007

This paper discusses the quantitative method for recovering the pose and shape of the straight homogeneous generalized cylinder (SHGC), based on the quantitative constraint assuming the weak uniform random reflection (weak Lambertian assumption). The weak Lambertian assumption is a generalization of the strictly complete random reflection model (strict Lambertian model). No knowledge of the light source or the surface reflection coefficient is required in the proposed method. As a first step, the position of the axis of SHGC is determined on the image. Then, the weak Lambertian assumption is applied to the intensity distribution along the parallel (latitude) which corresponds to the extrema of the sweeping function on SHGC to recover its pose. Then, the weak Lambertian assumption is also applied to the intensity distributions along other parallels to recover the position of the axis of SHGC in the three‐dimensional space. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, an experiment is shown for the synthesized image and the real image.
Multiscale structure from multiviews by ▽2G filtered three‐dimensional voting
Authors: Mori Takeaki Y. , Suzuki Satoshi , Horikoshi Tsutomu , Yasuno Takayuki
Published: July 2007

A hierarchical matching is the most efficient way to recognize a 3‐D object. In most conventional methods of 3‐D object recognition, a hierarchical structure is formed after the detailed 3D structure of an object has been extracted by dividing it coarsely. This approach is very inefficient, since it is difficult to obtain a detailed 3D structure initially in addition to a large amount of computation time.

This paper proposes a method which extracts a multiscale 3D structure directly from coarse to fine. In this method, a space containing an object is divided into coarse voxels, and a “3D voting” is applied. This voting adds a certain value to a voxel through which a back‐projected line connects the center of the camera lens and a feature point on an image. A voxel having a high value is regarded as a region containing a 3D feature point, and this is extracted. Extraction of a hierarchical structure is carried out by repeating the dividing process from coarse voxels to fine voxels so that the operation becomes efficient.

This paper also analyzes the effects of the deviation of a feature point in an image and the deviation of the camera center on the 3D voting. The paper shows also that an application of a ▽2G filter to the voxel space (after 3D voting) is effective in suppressing the errors due to the deviations. The method has been confirmed successfully by processing six complex test images.
Automatic vehicle image extraction based on spatio‐temporal image analysis
Authors: Nakanishi Tadashi , Shio Akio , Ishii Ken‐Ichiro
Published: July 2007

This paper proposes an automatic method of extracting the image of a vehicle moving along a straight road from a sequential video image. The method has been designed to be independent of the type of vehicle and the background, and to obtain an image with minimum defective areas. The image of the vehicle is extracted by analyzing a locus in a spatio‐temporal image seen through a slit in a fixed video camera, by updating the background image and superimposing a time‐series of the background difference image. The method can extract a full image of various types of vehicles in an arbitrary background with minimum defects, and can separate the images of two vehicles when one crosses in front of the other. The method has been tested successfully with actual traffic (including traffic starting from a traffic light). The results show that the method is practical for smoothly flowing traffic. The method has also been tested successfully for identifying vehicle types.
Human‐robot interface with attention
Authors: Imai Michita , Anzai Yuichiro , Hiraki Kazuo
Published: July 2007

This paper describes the utterance generation system Linta‐II, which was developed aiming at the realization of the flexible human‐robot interface. Linta‐II is implemented on an autonomous mobile robot. Based on the information from the sensor installed on the robot, the utterance can be generated according to the situation.

In Linta‐II, the sensor information is acquired effectively using the attention mechanism. The attention mechanism is constructed as a set of entities executing simple symbol processings. It realizes two kinds of attentions, i.e., the involuntary and voluntary attentions. The involuntary attention has the function of paying immediate attention to the external event. The voluntary attention is activated by other modules such as the action control unit, and executes the top‐down processing.

Linta‐II utilizes those two kinds of attention mechanisms, and can generate the utterance according to the situation, even if the rule to determine the sensor information to be referred to cannot completely be described. This paper demonstrates the effectiveness of the attention mechanism by presenting several examples of utterances by Linta‐II.
Improved extendible hashing with high concurrency
Authors: Hirano Yasuhiro , Satoh Tetsuji , Miura Fumiaki
Published: July 2007

We propose an improved extendible hashing scheme and a bucket multi‐versioning scheme that achieve a higher concurrency. In our improved extendible hashing, the global depth and directory entries are asynchronously modified to reduce lock conflicts on the directory. Furthermore, bucket multi‐versioning enables read‐only access to a bucket which is being split. Simulation studies show that these two methods provide an increase in speed in proportion to the number of processors and that they enable concurrent insertions and retrievals to be performed without either affecting the other.
Precise verification of seal impressions
Authors: Shibayama Jun'Ichi , Maeda Akira
Published: July 2007

A method is proposed to verify seal impressions automatically. It has the following characteristics, and its effects are proved: (1) efficiency to judge genuine seals, even if the seals are degraded to certain extent, as in blur, scratchy or spotty impressions; (2) safety to reject false seals rigorously. The authors precise verification method uses small block information of seal conditions to cope with the above contradictory characteristics. Also, seal impression models are proposed to evaluate the trade‐off by simulation. Parameters in the method are tuned using the models, and by experiments it is proved that the method has both efficiency and safety.
Supervised one‐shot learning algorithm for real‐valued inputs
Authors: Demura Kosei , Anzai Yuichiro , Kajiura Masahiro
Published: July 2007

This paper presents a neural network algorithm called SOLAR (Supervised One‐shot Learning Algorithm for Real‐valued inputs) that can complete learning by a single presentation of the real‐valued inputs.

The similarity matrix is introduced in SOLAR, which can measure the Euclidean distance between training instances represented by a real number. Based on the geometrical structure of the similarity matrix, the structure of the network, the connection weights, the learning parameters and the linear discriminant function are determined. Then, the learning is executed by a single presentation of the training set. The nonlinearly separable case can be reduced to the linearly separable case by decomposing the set of supervisor signals into linearly separable sets.

The main contribution of this paper is that SOLAR realizes a high‐speed learning by a single presentation of the input data composed of real values and a large‐scale complex set of data can be learned. This has been difficult in previous models.

In addition, since the number of hidden units and the parameters are determined by the algorithm, there is no problem such as trial‐and error.

Simulations show the effectiveness of the proposed method by learning a relatively large‐scale problem, such as the backpropagation algorithm, which has been difficult based on the gradient descent method.
An implementation of parallel production systems with two load balancing mechanisms
Authors: Miyazaki Jun , Yokota Haruo
Published: July 2007

An implementation method is proposed for parallel production systems on multicomputers, or message‐passing computers, to speed up execution time. There have been proposed parallel production systems using hash mechanism, but they cause a skewed load distribution problem. To obtain more efficient balance of load, the method addressed here and named clustered parallel production systems (CPPS) adopts two load balancing strategies: hash and demand‐driven. Taking account of the cost of termination detection, the execution time of the CPPS and simple hash method are estimated, and implement on an nCube2. The estimation meets the execution results. The CPPS provides much better load balance to improve scalability.
The delaunay triangulation for accurate three‐dimensional graphic model
Authors: Yamamoto Hiroyuki , Uchiyama Shinji , Tamura Hideyuki
Published: July 2007

This paper presents a method to construct the Delaunay triangulation for creating a polygon patch model, which is used as a graphic model for applications such as computer graphics and virtual reality. This method is based on the conventional incremental method to construct the Voronoi diagram, but has two characteristics that are especially suitable for a three‐dimensional geometric modeling. One of these characteristics is that a point can be removed from the mesh. This feature is useful for the interactive modeling application in which points are often removed and moved. The other is that a line, which lies between two points, can be constrained to be an edge of the mesh. This is necessary for creating an accurate three‐dimensional model. Without this feature, the mesh usually obtained has totally different three‐dimensional structure from the real object. A process to apply this method to a radial range image is described as well as the details of this method. Experimental results and evaluation of this method are also shown.
A method of pedestrian detection based on rhythm of walking
Authors: Yasutomi Satoshi , Mori Hideo , Kiyohiro Noriaki
Published: July 2007

It is important for mobile robots and security purposes to discriminate a pedestrian among moving objects in a video. This paper proposes a method which discriminates a pedestrian from other objects by using periodic motions of the feet, and the characteristics of the rhythm of pace and stride. This method uses brightness changes in sequential images of a moving object contacting with the ground, and extracts the main component of the frequency using a power spectrum estimation. Therefore, the method is independent of pedestrian's appearance such as clothes, build, and hair style. The system realizing this method consists of three processes: moving object detection which uses the difference between successive image frames; tracking of the moving object using a moving model with an extended Kahman filter and an observation model; and detection of the pedestrian based on rhythm of walking using the difference of brightness between images on successive frames. The whole process is performed in real time. Experiments using real scenes confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method: 446 pedestrians out of 470 were successfully detected (detection rate 94.9%), and 101 persons out of 106 were successfully detected as non‐pedestrians (96.2%).
Proposal of hybrid verification method in asynchronous real‐time software including timing constraints specification
Authors: Yamane Satoshi
Published: July 2007

A verification system of asynchronous real‐time software including timing constraints, which supports both model‐checking algorithms and language inclusion algorithms, does not exist. In a language inclusion algorithm, verification specification is described by a timed automaton from the standpoint of both states and behaviors. On the other hand, in a model‐checking algorithm, verification specification is described by real‐time temporal logic from the standpoint of state relation. It is necessary to specify verification property by both timed automaton and real‐time temporal logic. A hybrid verification method, which supports both verification methods, is proposed here. In order to realize it, a timed Kripke structure is generated from timed automaton through an augmented region graph. The method is shown to be effective using the example of a clock problem.
Queuing spin lock algorithms with preemption
Authors: Takada Hiroaki , Sakamura Ken
Published: July 2007

Both predictable interprocessor synchronization and fast interrupt response are required for real‐time systems constructed using asymmetric shared‐memory multiprocessors. This paper points out that conventional spin lock algorithms cannot satisfy both requirements at the same time and describes two spin lock algorithms that have been proposed to solve this problem. These algorithms, extensions of queuing spin locks modified to be preemptable for servicing interrupts, can give upper bounds on the times to acquire and release an interprocessor lock while achieving a fast response to interrupt requests. The performance measurement of the algorithms demonstrates that the algorithms have required properties. To apply the algorithms to real‐time kernels, we also propose an extended algorithm, which is a combination of the two algorithms.
Extension of regularization theory based on general regression into multivalued functions and a reconstruction algorithm for discontinuous functions without line processes
Authors: Mizutani Hiroyuki
Published: July 2007

This paper considers the regularization theory based on the general regression. The general regression does not require the measure for the smoothness, which plays the important role in the standard regularization theory or its extension. The theory is extended so that the regularization can be applied to the case where the data are multivalued. Based on the extended theory, an algorithm is derived which can reconstruct in a deterministic way the discontinuous function from the discrete data, without requiring the conventional line process, by regarding the discontinuity as a boundary between different functions. The effectiveness of the derived algorithm and the robustness against the noise are demonstrated by a computer simulation.
A method for determining three‐dimensional surface orientation of objects with textures
Authors: Shinmoto Koichi , Honda Tsunenori , Kaneko Shun'Ichi
Published: July 2007

To reconstruct the shape of an object from its image, the conventional photometric stereo method requires a preprocessing (e.g., region segmentation based on gray levels) unless the reflectance of its surface is uniform and known; and the method is applicable only to a part of the surface illuminated by more than three light sources.

This paper proposes a method based on the photometric stereo method, but with the newly introduced restriction conditions so that the method can be applied without preprocessing to an object with surface texture including regions illuminated by fewer than three light sources. The method has been applied successfully to two spherical objects: the mean square error in the reconstruction of an object where surface texture is 0.01723, and that without texture is 0.002063.
Recursive Diagonal Torus (RDT): An Interconnection Network for the Massively Parallel Computers
Authors: Yang Yulu , Amano Hideharu , Shibamura Hidetomo , Sueyoshi Toshinori
Published: July 2007

This paper proposes the recursive diagonal torus (RDT), which is the interconnection network for the massively parallel computer with 216or more processors. RDT can realize a small diameter (12 for 16 Knode) with a small number of links compared to the hypercube by adding links recursively along the diagonal direction of the two‐dimensional torus. The packet is routed by a simple algorithm called vector routing. RDT not only includes a torus, but also easily implements the emulation of the hypercube or tree as well as the packet broadcast. Considering a typical packet transfer method, the random transfer performance is evaluated. A satisfactory result is obtained compared to the 2‐D or 3‐D torus, although somewhat inferior to the hypercube with a large number of links.
A construction of back‐propagation neural networks including time delay elements (BPD)
Authors: Nishi Masaaki , Furuya Junji , Nakamura Tadao
Published: July 2007

We propose here a back‐propagation neural network with built‐in time delay elements (back‐propagation neural networks including time delay elements: BPD) where the delay elements are connected so that an output is self‐fedback per neuron constituting the neural network. The learning algorithm for the BPD can be obtained by the most gradient descent method. The processing methods are classified into four types according to the degree of simplification in the course of formulation and whether or not the numerical calculation using the perturbation is introduced in obtaining a differential value. As applied problems, four types of problems are formed based on the combinations in which the input‐output signals of the neural network are analog signals or digital signals. For these four types of problems, the BPD is computer‐simulated by utilizing the four types of processing methods. In addition, which processing method is preferable is examined with respect to the learning processing results and processing time. It will be confirmed that in the BPD a sufficient learning processing effect can be obtained by utilizing a method where a secondary effect is ignored and the formulation is simplified. Moreover, SCNN, Jordan's and Elman's networks are taken as examples of the conventional recurrent neural networks which can handle the time‐sequence problems. Then, the results with the conventional neural networks are compared and examined when adapted to the above‐mentioned four‐type applied problems to confirm the effectiveness of the neural network proposed.
Text understanding using a two‐dimensional spatial imagery
Authors: Itoh Motoyuki , Kubo Shin , Itoh Yukihiro
Published: July 2007

This paper describes the framework of a system that can understand a textbook for machine operation, based on the model of an object world that can retain informations not only by symbolic representation but also by image. In any understanding of the description for machine operation, spatial information is important, and there must be a model that can retain the informations with natural reflection of the continuity and relative location, independently of the particular point of observation. Such a representation is difficult, dealing only with the symbolic knowledge representation used in the conventional language understanding system. From such a viewpoint, this paper notes the usefulness of the representation by the image and proposes the imagery object world model, which can utilize partially the properties of the image, using mathematical expressions in a two‐dimensional real coordinate system. Mechanisms both to execute the simulation on the proposed model and to read the text using the simulation mechanism, are investigated. A system is constructed experimentally based on the proposed idea, which can construct the model for the input sentence, while executing a simulation and generating symbolic recognition expressions. With those functions, the identity or the similarity of the language expressions derived from the same object or event from different viewpoints, can adequately be decided.
Developmental effects of SSRIs: lessons learned from animal studies
Authors: Borue Xenia , Chen John , Condron Barry G.
Published: July 2007

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are utilized in the treatment of depression in pregnant and lactating women. SSRIs may be passed to the fetus through the placenta and the neonate through breastfeeding, potentially exposing them to SSRIs during peri‐ and postnatal development. However, the long‐term effects of this SSRI exposure are still largely unknown. The simplicity and genetic amenability of model organisms provides a critical experimental advantage compared to studies with humans. This review will assess the current research done in animals that sheds light on the role of serotonin during development and the possible effects of SSRIs. Experimental studies in rodents show that administration of SSRIs during a key developmental window creates changes in brain circuitry and maladaptive behaviors that persist into adulthood. Similar changes result from the inhibition of the serotonin transporter or monoamine oxidase, implicating these two regulators of serotonin signaling in developmental changes. Understanding the role of serotonin in brain development is critical to identifying the possible effects of SSRI exposure.
Effects of ovarian high response on implantation and pregnancy outcome during controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (with GnRH agonist and rFSH)
Authors: CHEN QIU‐JU , CHEN QIU‐JU , SUN XIAO‐XI , LI LU , GAO XIAO‐HONG , WU YU , GEMZELL‐DANIELSSON KRISTINA , CHENG LI‐NAN
Published: July 2007

Background. The study was aimed at investigating the effects of ovarian high response during controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) on implantation and pregnancy outcome in fresh IVF/ICSI cycles, and subsequent frozen‐thawed embryo transfer (FET) cycles. Methods. An analysis of 1,196 cycles using a long protocol with GnRHa and rFSH was performed. A serum oestrial level (peak E2) was obtained on the day of hCG administration, and patients were grouped by peak E2 percentile distribution into 3 groups. Normal responder was set as cut‐off concentrations between percentile (P)25 and P75 (Group A: 1,199–3,047 pg/ml, 595 cycles). Moderate high responders were classified as peak E2 between P75–P90 (Group B: 3,048–4,127 pg/ml, 180 cycles). For the high response group, the E2 cut‐off concentration was set as P90 and above (Group C: ≥4,128 pg/ml, 119 cycles). Oocyte/embryo parameters and clinical outcomes were compared among the 3 groups in fresh cycles and subsequent FET cycles. Results. Comparisons between groups revealed no difference in the quality of oocyte retrieved and in fertilisation rates. Group C showed decreased trends in implantation and pregnancy rates compared with Group A, but statistical significance was reached only for the difference in implantation rates. Implantation and pregnancy rates in FET cycles were similar among the 3 groups. Conclusions. High serum estrogen levels were detrimental to implantation, but not to the quality of oocytes, which may be due to an adverse effect on endometrial receptivity in COH cycles.
On the Division of Attention: A Disproof of the Single Channel Hypothesis
Authors: Allport D. Alan , Antonis Barbara , Reynolds Patricia
Published: July 2007

In dichotic listening, subjects are apparently unable to attend simultaneously to two concurrent, auditory speech messages. However, in two experiments reported here, it is shown that people can attend to and repeat back continuous speech at the same time as taking in complex, unrelated visual scenes, or even while sight-reading piano music. In both cases performance with divided attention was very good, and in the case of sight-reading was as good as with undivided attention. There was little or no effect of the dual task on the accuracy of speech shadowing. These results are incompatible with the hypothesis that human attention is limited by the capacity of a general–purpose central processor in the nervous system. An alternative, “multi-channel”, hypothesis is outlined.
An Anatomy of Urban Terror: Lessons from Jerusalem and Elsewhere
Authors: Savitch H.V.
Published: July 2007

This paper examines the increased prevalence of urban terror and its spatial implications. Urban terror concerns territory, space and logistics, and is characterised by low-intensity, ambiguously bounded warfare. It is defined as attacks intentionally directed against non-combatants and key installations located in high-density, continuously developed, diversified environments. The research traces the collective experience of London, Moscow and Istanbul with extended attention paid to Jerusalem. Four patterns of urban terror are identified and used to conduct the analysis. These consist of terrorist attempts to: decontrol urban territory, cause instability and demonstrate vulnerability; launch repetitive attacks on specific spaces in order to create conditions of chaos; achieve proximity and access to targets; and, finally, a response to terror by authorities based on surveillance, partition, closure and shrinkage of urban space. A final section consists of analysing terror's impact on the economy and future of cities.
Overcoming the Factors Inhibiting the Mainstreaming of Gender into Spatial Planning Policy in the United Kingdom
Authors: Greed Clara
Published: July 2007

This paper investigates why gender is not being effectively mainstreamed into the work of local planning authorities in the UK. It discusses means whereby this reluctance might be overcome. Research undertaken for the Royal Town Planning Institute is drawn upon to illustrate the situation. Whilst generic mainstreaming is widespread, it predominantly relates to personnel matters and social policy issues; but there is little evidence of the mainstreaming of gender issues into spatial policy. Factors that hinder progress are identified at central and local government levels. Drawing on principles from a gender mainstreaming toolkit, developed as part of the research, key stages and components of the planning process are identified through which gender might be more successfully mainstreamed into substantive spatial policy.
Sport and Economic Regeneration in Cities
Authors: Gratton Chris , Shibli Simon , Coleman Richard
Published: July 2007

Investment in sporting infrastructure in cities over the past 20 years was not primarily aimed at getting the local community involved in sport, but was instead aimed at attracting tourists, encouraging inward investment and changing the image of the city. The first example of this new strategy was seen in Sheffield with the investment of £147 million in sporting facilities to host the World Student Games of 1991. More recently, Manchester spent over £200 million on sporting venues in order to host the 2002 Commonwealth Games, with a further £470 million expenditure on other non-sport infrastructure investment in Sportcity in east Manchester. In the British context, most of the cities following this strategy of using sport for economic regeneration have been industrial cities, not normally known as major tourist destinations. The drivers of such policies were the need for a new image and new employment opportunities caused by the loss of their conventional industrial base. This article analyses the justification for such investments in sport in cities and assesses the evidence for the success of such strategies.