The specification and implementation of a virtual university software system
Distance learning is one of the interesting research topics of distributed computing. This paper discusses a joint research project between the University of Aizu in Japan and Tamkang University in Taiwan. A software system supporting virtual university operations is proposed. The software architecture is designed based on three criteria of virtual university operations: administration, awareness and assessment. Specifications of each tools in the system are proposed, with some implementation details and solutions being discussed. We also point out some interesting research directions in the realization of a virtual university.

title: Macro University
abstract: This paper discusses the technical issues related to the Macro University framework. First we present the characteristics of the Macro University, from which the design principles are derived. Then we describe Macro University's software architecture and networking infrastructure. Since the Macro University is a federation of virtual universities, the format and protocol for open information exchange will be very important. Another often neglected issue is the technical tools to facilitate evaluation and assessment. A third issue is a universal interface for distance learning.

title: A Multiplatform P2P System: its implementation and applications
abstract: Peer-to-peer (P2P) computing offers many attractive features, such as collaboration, self-organization, load balancing, availability, fault tolerance and anonymity. However, it also faces many serious challenges. In our previous work, we implemented a synchronous P2P collaboration platform called TOMSCOP. Based on the elementary peer group services offered by the JXTA general framework, TOMSCOP provides the extra four types of services: synchronous message transportation, peer room administration, peer communication support and application space management. By using the four services, different kinds of shared applications for various specific purposes can be relatively easily developed and associated collaborative cyber spaces or communities can be quickly built across the JXTA virtual network overlaid on top of the existing physical networks. However, the TOMSCOP was implemented only in Windows XP OS. In this paper, we extend our previous work and present the implementation of a Multi-Platform P2P System (MPPS). The proposed system operates very smoothly in UNIX Solaris 9 OS, LINUX Suse 9.1 OS, Mac OSX, and Windows XP. In the future study, we would like to evaluate the implemented P2P platform and compare its performance with other P2P systems.

title: The design and implementation of a distributed Web document database
abstract: Distance learning has become a very important mechanism for virtual university operation. In order to realize such an operation smoothly, it is necessary to consider distance learning from three perspectives: administration, awareness, and assessment. We are currently implementing a virtual university environment according to these guidelines. In this paper, we propose a new Web documentation database as a supporting environment of the Multimedia Micro-University project. The design of this database facilitates a Web documentation development paradigm that we have proposed earlier. From a script description, to its implementation as well as testing records, the database and its interface allow the user to design Web documents as virtual courses to be used in a Web-savvy virtual library. The database supports object reuse and sharing, as well as referential integrity and concurrence. In order to allow real-time course demonstration, i.e. also propose a simple course distribution mechanism, which allows the pre-broadcast of course materials. The System is implemented as a three-tier architecture which runs under MS Windows and other platforms.

title: A general purpose virtual collaboration room
abstract: The general purpose virtual collaboration room (VCR) is an Internet based desktop groupware system that enables a group of remote individuals to flexibly and naturally conduct their collaborative teaching/learning/working without constraints on collaboration types, working styles, group scales, and system platforms. To cope with the complexity, a room metaphor, i.e., emulating a physical room and objects in it, is used as a framework of the system. System implementation becomes no more complex than the case of using one object by identifying associated objects in communication messages between a room server and clients. The VCR provides rich and effective support of awareness of the user, object, space, and their mutual relations. With the use of Java applets for system implementations, users can enter and use a VCR from any standard Java enabled Web browser.

title: Implementation of a Pure P2p Collaboration Multiplatform and its Applications
abstract: Peer-to-Peer (P2P) computing offers many attractive features, such as collaboration, self-organization, load balancing, availability, fault tolerance and anonymity. However, it also faces many seri...

title: An Optimal Node Selection Scheme in Multi-hop Wireless Network
abstract: In this paper, a cooperative wireless multi-hop network is considered, cooperative diversity can be realized by allowing nodes close proximity to cooperate in transmission. In order to group receiver nodes into a cluster, it is necessary to select appropriate nodes. We introduce an optimal node selection algorithm based on MIMO antenna selection, this algorithm, combining with cooperative transmission strategy, gives an optimal node selection algorithm using convex optimization theory. Theoretical analysis and simulation indicate that this scheme can give good performance of maximizing the channel capacity through optimal node selection.

title: A P2P Ubiquitous System for Testing Network Programs
abstract: This paper presents design and implementation of a peer-to-peer (P2P) ubiquitous system for assisting a programmer to efficiently test network programs in their development process by using multiple computers simultaneously. This system is implemented using the TOMSCOP (Technology Of Multi-user Synchronous COllaboration Platform). It is a synchronous P2P collaboration platform built atop the JXTA technology. JXTA is a set of protocols for developing P2P shared applications, and enables peers to find each other, form groups and exchange messages across firewalls and NATs. This system has the following three main features. Firstly, it enables the program source files being shared among peers. Secondly, a user is able to simultaneously compile, execute and stop network programs of all peers in a same group by simple operations on the system GUI. Lastly, due to using Java and JXTA technology, the system can run on any platform.

title: A Robust Error Concealment Algorithm in Wireless Networks
abstract: Compressed video sequences are very vulnerable to channel disturbances when transmitted through the burst-packet-loss wireless channels. Transmission errors not only corrupt the current frame, but may also propagate to succeeding frames. We find that a number of current proposed post-processing error concealment methods exploit the spatial/temporal redundancy in the video stream can not actually conceal the transmission errors effectively, because they ignored the fact that the neighboring blocks can be easily lost by the burst packet losses and the correlation was considered only in the current frame, which all limited the ability to obtain an optimal recovery. In this paper, a novel error concealment algorithm is proposed for video transmissions in a wireless environment. Simulation proves that the proposed algorithm can be chosen as good trade-off between video quality and computational load in wireless networks.

title: Large-scale placement by grid-warping
abstract: Grid-warping is a new placement algorithm based on a strikingly simple idea: rather than move the gates to optimize their location, we elastically deform a model of the 2-D chip surface on which the gates have been roughly placed, "stretching" it until the gates arrange themselves to our liking. Put simply: we move the grid, not the gates. Deforming the elastic grid is a surprisingly simple, low-dimensional nonlinear optimization, and augments a traditional quadratic formulation. A preliminary implementation, WARP1, is already competitive with most recently published placers, e.g., placements that average 4% better wirelength, 40% faster than GORDIAN-L-DOMINO.

title: Designing a Context-Aware System to Detect Dangerous Situations in School Routes for Kids Outdoor Safety Care
abstract: Ubiquitous computing is targeted at services and applications of computer and communication technologies in the real world. This research, as a part of UbicKids Project, is focused on designing a context-aware system that dynamically detects the possible dangerous situations in the routes where kids go to and return from schools, and provides prompt advices to kids who may encounter some dangerous situations. Based on analyses of typical dangerous situations in school routes, the paper then shows the system architecture and discusses about danger-related context information processing including context description, representation and presentation. Security and privacy issues and possible solutions are also explained. A preliminary system prototype has been implemented and some GUIs are explained. Related work is discussed with comparisons to other research work.