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Establishing causal relations between random variables from observational data is perhaps the most important challenge in today’s science. In remote sensing and geosciences, this is of special relevance to better understand the earth’s system and the complex interactions between the governing processes. In this paper, we focus on an observational causal inference, and thus, we try to estimate the correct direction of causation using a finite set of empirical data. In addition, we focus on the more complex bivariate scenario that requires strong assumptions and no conditional independence tests can be used. In particular, we explore the framework of (nondeterministic) additive noise models, which relies on the principle of independence between the cause and the generating mechanism. A practical algorithmic instantiation of such principle only requires: 1) two regression models in the forward and backward directions and 2) the estimation of statistical independence between the obtained residuals and the observations. The direction leading to more independent residuals is decided to be the cause. We instead propose a criterion that uses the sensitivity (derivative) of the dependence estimator, the sensitivity criterion allows to identify samples most affecting the dependence measure, and hence, the criterion is robust to spurious detections. We illustrate the performance in a collection of 28 geoscience causal inference problems, a database of radiative transfer models simulations and machine learning emulators in vegetation parameter modeling involving 182 problems, and assessing the impact of different regression models in a carbon cycle problem. The criterion achieves the state-of-the-art detection rates in all cases, and it is generally robust to noise sources and distortions. The presented approach confirms the validity in observational bivariate problems in the earth sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Warp code (and its framework of associated tools) was initially developed for particle-in-cell simulations of space-charge-dominated ion beams in accelerators, for heavy-ion-driven inertial fusion energy, and related experiments. It has found a broad range of applications, including nonneutral plasmas in traps, stray electron clouds in accelerators, laser-based acceleration, and the focusing of ion beams produced when short-pulse lasers irradiate foil targets. We summarize novel methods used in Warp, including: time-stepping conducive to diagnosis and particle injection; an interactive Python-Fortran-C structure that enables scripted and interactive user steering of runs; a variety of geometries (3-D $x$ , $y$ , $z$ ; 2-D $r$ , $z$ ; 2-D $x$ , $y$ ); electrostatic and electromagnetic field solvers; a cut-cell representation for internal boundaries; the use of warped coordinates for bent beam lines; adaptive mesh refinement, including a capability for time-dependent space-charge-limited flow from curved surfaces; models for accelerator lattice elements (magnetic or electrostatic quadrupole lenses, accelerating gaps, etc.) at user-selectable levels of detail; models for particle interactions with gas and walls; moment/envelope models that support sophisticated particle loading; a drift-Lorentz mover for rapid tracking through regions of strong and weak magnetic field; a Lorentz-boosted frame formulation with a Lorentz-invariant modification of the Boris mover; an electromagnetic solver with tunable dispersion and stride-based digital filtering; and a pseudospectral electromagnetic solver. Warp has proven useful for a wide range of applications, described very briefly herein. It is available as an open-source code under a BSD license. This paper describes material presented during the Prof. Charles K. (Ned) Birdsall Memorial Session of the 2013 IEEE Pulsed Power and Plasma Science Conference. In addition to our overview of the computational methods used in Warp, we summarize a few aspects of Ned's contributions to plasma simulation and to the careers of those he mentored. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Evolutionary algorithms are adaptive methods based on natural evolution that may be used for search and optimization. As data reduction in knowledge discovery in databases (KDDs) can be viewed as a search problem, it could be solved using evolutionary algorithms (EAs). In this paper, we have carried out an empirical study of the performance of four representative EA models in which we have taken into account two different instance selection perspectives, the prototype selection and the training set selection for data reduction in KDD. This paper includes a comparison between these algorithms and other nonevolutionary instance selection algorithms. The results show that the evolutionary instance selection algorithms consistently outperform the nonevolutionary ones, the main advantages being: better instance reduction rates, higher classification accuracy, and models that are easier to interpret. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Model checking is a formal method for verifying whether the system satisfies a user-defined specification. Compared to simulation, model checking is restricted in capacity. On the other hand, simulation is weak in detecting bugs that require long and complex sequences of events to be exposed. This paper combines model checking and simulation in an abstraction-refinement scheme to mitigate the problems of both methods. Abstraction refinement iteratively constructs a simplified model to verify the original model. While a simplified model mitigates the weakness of model checking, the set of simplified error traces model helps guide simulation toward deep bugs. In abstraction refinement, concretization—a process of deriving an error trace in the original model from the abstract ones—is used to invalidate spurious abstract error traces or to refute a property. In this paper, we describe a novel concretization algorithm that combines simulation with satisfiability to efficiently refute properties with very long error traces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on a lot merging–splitting problem in a semiconductor wafer fabrication facility in which a relatively large number of wafer types are produced according to orders with different due dates. In the fab, two or more lots can be merged into a single lot if routes and all processing conditions of the lots are the same for a number of subsequent operations, and the merged lot is split into the original lots at the point where the routes or processing conditions become different. We suggest lot merging–splitting algorithms to reduce the total tardiness of the orders and the cycle times of the lots. The suggested algorithms are evaluated through a series of simulation experiments and the result shows that the algorithms work better than a method used in a real fab. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents an online procedure for the automatic search of the maximum-torque-per-ampere operating region for a synchronous reluctance motor. The algorithm is based on a signal-injection method with a random-based perturbation pattern applied to a common direct-torque-controlled drive. Among motor parameters, only the stator resistance is required to perform the automatic procedure. Simulations and experimental results are presented in the paper, demonstrating the benefits of the proposed algorithm. The solution is easily extended to any ac drive. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, a mathematical model for the beacon-enabled mode of the IEEE 802.15.4 medium-access control (MAC) protocol is provided. A personal area network (PAN) composed of multiple nodes, which transmit data to a PAN coordinator through direct links or multiple hops, is considered. The application is query based: Upon reception of the beacon transmitted by the PAN coordinator, each node tries to transmit its packet using the superframe structure defined by the IEEE 802.15.4 protocol. Those nodes that do not succeed in accessing the channel discard the packet; at the next superframe, a new packet is generated. The aim of the paper is to develop a flexible mathematical tool able to study beacon-enabled 802.15.4 networks organized in different topologies. Both the contention access period (CAP) and the contention-free period defined by the standard are considered. The slotted carrier-sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) algorithm used in the CAP portion of the superframe is analytically modeled. The model describes the probability of packet successful reception and access delay statistics. Moreover, both star and tree-based topologies are dealt with; a suitable comparison between these topologies is provided. The model is a useful tool for the design of MAC parameters and to select the better topology. The mathematical model is validated through simulation results. The model differs from those previously published by other authors in the literature as it precisely follows the MAC procedure defined by the standard in the context of the application scenario described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The frequency scaling algorithm (FSA) was proposed to process the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data acquired via the dechirp-on-receive approach. Some aspects of improving the FSA are investigated in this paper, based on which an extended FSA (EFSA) is presented. The general purpose of the EFSA is to reduce the effect of range spectrum shift of the intermediate processing results, which occurs during the scaling operation in the FSA, so as to achieve a more effective utilization of the processed bandwidth. The EFSA is implemented through time shifting the scaling and the inverse scaling functions used in the FSA and also the adjustment of the scaling factor. The derivation of the EFSA is detailed in this paper. Point target simulation in squinted imaging geometry indicates that the presented algorithm is more suitable for large-squint applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Channel order estimation is a critical step in most blind single-input multiple-output (SIMO) channel identification/equalization algorithms. Several methods for estimating either the true channel order or its most significant part (the so-called effective channel order) have been recently proposed, but a solution able to work in practical scenarios (low or moderate signal-to-noise ratios (SNR5) and channels with small leading and/or trailing coefficients) has not been found yet. In this paper, a new criterion for effective channel order detection of SIMO channels is presented. The method is based on the fact that the cost function typically used in blind identification algorithms decreases monotonically with the estimated channel order, whereas for blind equalization algorithms, the cost function increases monotonically. In this paper, it is shown that a straightforward combination of both cost functions attains its minimum at the correct channel order even for moderate SNRS. The proposed method is able to work with small data sets, colored signals, and channels with small head and tail taps, which is a common problem in communication applications. The improvement of the proposed criterion over a number of existing algorithms is demonstrated through simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effectiveness is the most important factor considered in the ranking models yielded by algorithms of learning to rank (LTR). Most of the related ranking models only focus on improving the average effectiveness but ignore robustness. When a ranking model ignores robustness, the effectiveness for many queries is possibly very poor although the average effectiveness for all queries is relatively high. Therefore, Wang et al. first consider robustness in their ranking models. However, the robustness formula defined by Wang et al. cannot characterize those queries whose effectiveness are hurt seriously in comparison with the baseline model. In order to overcome this shortcoming, we propose a novel formula of characterizing robustness based on portfolio theory, and construct a multiobjective optimization model of the robust LTR in which the formula is used. Based on this model, we propose an approach of risk-sensitive and robust LTR, named as \textR^ 2 Rank, which is based on the framework of archived multiobjective simulated annealing algorithm and the idea of preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluation. The experimental results show that the ranking models produced by our proposed \textR^ 2 Rank approach are better in both effectiveness and robustness than those produced by three state-of-the-art LTR approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Although the recently proposed single-implicit-equation-based input voltage equations (IVEs) for the independent double-gate (IDG) MOSFET promise faster computation time than the earlier proposed coupled-equations-based IVEs, it is not clear how those equations could be solved inside a circuit simulator as the conventional Newton–Raphson (NR)-based root finding method will not always converge due to the presence of discontinuity at the G-zero point (GZP) and nonremovable singularities in the trigonometric IVE. In this paper, we propose a unique algorithm to solve those IVEs, which combines the Ridders algorithm with the NR-based technique in order to provide assured convergence for any bias conditions. Studying the IDG MOSFET operation carefully, we apply an optimized initial guess to the NR component and a minimized solution space to the Ridders component in order to achieve rapid convergence, which is very important for circuit simulation. To reduce the computation budget further, we propose a new closed-form solution of the IVEs in the near vicinity of the GZP. The proposed algorithm is tested with different device parameters in the extended range of bias conditions and successfully implemented in a commercial circuit simulator through its Verilog-A interface. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Electronically controlled air suspension systems have been used in vehicles to improve ride comfort and handling safety by adjusting vehicle height. This paper proposes a new nonlinear controller to adjust the height of the vehicle sprung mass (height control) and to regulate the roll and pitch angles of the vehicle body (leveling control) by an air suspension system. A sliding mode control algorithm is designed to improve the tracking accuracy of the control and to overcome nonlinearities and uncertainties in the air suspension system. A mathematical model of the air suspension system is formulated in a nonlinear affine form to describe the dynamic behavior of the system and to derive the control algorithm. The sliding mode observer is also designed to estimate the pressures inside four air springs. The effectiveness and performance of the proposed control algorithm are verified by simulations and actual vehicle tests. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This correspondence paper presents an algorithm in which the independent components of link lengths are used as a medium to analyze the forward kinematics of a six-degree-of-freedom Stewart platform. The link lengths are firstly transformed into independent components through independent component analysis. Then, the value of positional variables is computed by using the Nelder–Mead algorithm by taking advantage of the relationships between the independent components and the positional variables. Simulations have been conducted to test the proposed algorithm. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can achieve a better performance than the other published algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper deals with beamforming in wireless relay networks with perfect channel information at the relays, receiver, and transmitter if there is a direct link between the transmitter and receiver. It is assumed that every node in the network has its own power constraint. A two-step amplify-and-forward protocol is used, in which the transmitter and relays not only use match filters to form a beam at the receiver but also adaptively adjust their transmit powers according to the channel strength information. For networks with no direct link, an algorithm is proposed to analytically find the exact solution with linear (in network size) complexity. It is shown that the transmitter should always use its maximal power while the optimal power of a relay can take any value between zero and its maxima. Also, this value depends on the quality of all other channels in addition to the relay's own. Despite this coupling fact, distributive strategies are proposed in which, with the aid of a low-rate receiver broadcast, a relay needs only its own channel information to implement the optimal power control. Then, beamforming in networks with a direct link is considered. When the direct link exists during the first step only, the optimal power control is the same as that of networks with no direct link. For networks with a direct link during the second step only and both steps, recursive numerical algorithms are proposed. Simulation shows that network beamforming achieves the maximal diversity order and outperforms other existing schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a new maximum-likelihood (ML) target localization approach which uses quantized sensor data as well as wireless channel statistics in a wireless sensor network. The novelty of our approach comes from the fact that statistics of imperfect wireless channels between sensors and the fusion center along with some physical layer design parameters are incorporated in the localization algorithm. We call this approach "channel-aware target localization." ML target location estimators are derived for different wireless channel models and receiver architectures. Furthermore, we derive the Cramér-Rao lower bounds (CRLBs) for our proposed channel-aware ML location estimators. Simulation results are presented to show that the performance of the channel-aware ML location estimators are quite close to their theoretical performance bounds even with relatively small number of sensors and their performance is superior compared to that of the channel-unaware ML estimators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A linear frequency-modulated continuous-wave (LFMCW) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is a highly miniaturized SAR that is suitable for use on a small unmanned aerial vehicle. In squint stripmap mode, the LFMCW SAR image quality is degraded by the presence of nonlinearities in the transmitted signal, combined with the large bandwidth introduced by the frequency scaling in the nonlinear frequency scaling (NLFS) algorithm. This paper proposes an extension of the NLFS algorithm called the Doppler-centroid-dependent frequency scaling algorithm. The algorithm introduces a new Doppler-centroid-dependent scaling factor to decrease the introduced bandwidth, effectively removing the range frequency aliasing, without extra computational load. Nonlinearity correction is performed at the same time as range cell migration correction. The validity of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated with point target simulation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an algorithm that acquires the intermediate goals between the initial and goal states is proposed for an agent executing multiple tasks. We demonstrate the algorithm in the problem of rearranging multiple objects. The result shows that the moving distance to transfer the entire objects to their goal configuration is 1/15 of that without using intermediate goals. We experiment using a real robot to confirm that the intermediate goal can be adapted to a real environment. Our experimental results showed that an agent could adapt the intermediate goals, which were acquired in the simulation, to the experimental environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper a model selection algorithm for a nonlinear system identification method is proposed to study functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) effective connectivity. Unlike most other methods, this method does not need a pre-defined structure/model for effective connectivity analysis. Instead, it relies on selecting significant nonlinear or linear covariates for the differential equations to describe the mapping relationship between brain output (fMRI response) and input (experiment design). These covariates, as well as their coefficients, are estimated based on a least angle regression (LARS) method. In the implementation of the LARS method, Akaike's information criterion corrected (AICc) algorithm and the leave-one-out (LOO) cross-validation method were employed and compared for model selection. Simulation comparison between the dynamic causal model (DCM), nonlinear identification method, and model selection method for modelling the single-input-single-output (SISO) and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems were conducted. Results show that the LARS model selection method is faster than DCM and achieves a compact and economic nonlinear model simultaneously. To verify the efficacy of the proposed approach, an analysis of the dorsal and ventral visual pathway networks was carried out based on three real datasets. The results show that LARS can be used for model selection in an fMRI effective connectivity study with phase-encoded, standard block, and random block designs. It is also shown that the LOO cross-validation method for nonlinear model selection has less residual sum squares than the AICc algorithm for the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a model-based fault prognosis method is developed for hybrid systems with multiple incipient faults. The concept of augmented global analytical redundancy relations is proposed for the identification of degradation of components, such as sensors and actuators, which cannot be described by physical parameters. In addition, multiple incipient faults are considered in a complex hybrid system, and these faults can develop during a mode when the faults are not detectable. The unknown degradation characteristic of each incipient fault is identified with the closest matching one of some prescribed dynamic models. The resultant degradation model will serve as a base for prognosis. In the process of fault detection and isolation, the degradation models and faults are identified using a multiple-adaptive-hybrid-particle-swarm-optimization algorithm. The proposed methodology and algorithm are verified with simulation as well as experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, we consider distributed estimation of a noise-corrupted deterministic parameter in energy-constrained wireless sensor networks from energy-distortion perspective. Given a total energy budget allowable to be used by all sensors, there exists a tradeoff between the subset of active sensors and the energy used by each active sensor in order to minimize the estimation MSE. To determine the optimal quantization bit rate and transmission energy of each sensor, a concept of equivalent unit-energy MSE function is introduced. Based on this concept, an optimal energy-constrained distributed estimation algorithm for homogeneous sensor networks and a quasi-optimal energy-constrained distributed estimation algorithm for heterogeneous sensor networks are proposed. Moreover, the theoretical energy-distortion performance bound for distributed estimation is addressed and it is shown that the proposed algorithm is quasi-optimal within a factor 2 of the theoretical lower bound. Simulation results also show that the proposed method can achieve a significant reduction in the estimation MSE when compared with other uniform schemes. Finally, the proposed algorithm is easy to implement in a distributed manner and it adapts well to the dynamic sensor environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider the joint power allocation and base station (BS) assignment in nonorthogonal downlink transmission code-division multiple-access (CDMA) communication systems. In addition to the popular sum-power criterion, we introduce three novel criteria that better take into account the network requirements and particularly the separate power limit of each of the BSs. In our model, we allow each user to be connected to more than one BS and show that such a scheme can improve the system capacity (while currently this mechanism is only used to support soft handoff). Nevertheless, we show that in any optimal solution, the actual number of connections used by each user is small. We propose a unified approach to optimization, which allows the use of linear programming (LP)-based iterative algorithms to solve all of the presented optimization problems. The proposed scheme is verified by simulations for several scenarios. The simulation results show that by taking into account the power constraints of each of the BSs, the system capacity can be increased by up to 33%. The results can also approximate the performance of orthogonal CDMA networks with precision that increases with system bandwidth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In radio frequency identification (RFID) systems, the reader identifies tags through communication over a shared wireless channel. When multiple tags transmit their IDs simultaneously, their signals collide, increasing the identification delay. Therefore, many previous anti-collision algorithms, including an adaptive query splitting algorithm (AQS) and an adaptive binary splitting algorithm (ABS), focused on solving this problem. This paper proposes two blocking algorithms, a single resolution blocking ABS algorithm (SRB) and a pair resolution blocking ABS algorithm (PRB), based on ABS. SRB not only inherits the essence of ABS which uses the information of recognized tags obtained from the last process of tag identification, but also adopts a blocking technique which prevents recognized tags from being collided by unrecognized tags. PRB further adopts a pair resolution technique which couples recognized tags and thus only needs half time for next identifying these recognized tags. We formally analyze the performance of SRB and PRB. Finally, the analytic and simulation results show that SRB slightly outperforms ABS and PRB significantly surpasses ABS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In wireless mesh networks, the end-to-end throughput of traffic flows depends on the path length, i.e., the higher the number of hops, the lower becomes the throughput. In this paper, a fair end-to-end bandwidth allocation (FEBA) algorithm is introduced to solve this problem. FEBA is implemented at the medium access control (MAC) layer of single-radio, multiple channels IEEE 802.16 mesh nodes, operated in a distributed coordinated scheduling mode. FEBA negotiates bandwidth among neighbors to assign a fair share proportional to a specified weight to each end-to-end traffic flow. This way traffic flows are served in a differentiated manner, with higher priority traffic flows being allocated more bandwidth on the average than the lower priority traffic flows. In fact, a node requests/grants bandwidth from/to its neighbors in a round-robin fashion where the amount of service depends on both the load on its different links and the priority of currently active traffic flows. If multiple channels are available, they are all shared evenly in order to increase the network capacity due to frequency reuse. The performance of FEBA is evaluated by extensive simulations. It is shown that wireless resources are shared fairly among best-effort traffic flows, while multimedia streams are provided with a differentiated service that enables quality of service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a theory of quantum serial turbo codes, describe their iterative decoding algorithm, and study their performances numerically on a depolarization channel. Our construction offers several advantages over quantum low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes. First, the Tanner graph used for decoding is free of 4-cycles that deteriorate the performances of iterative decoding. Second, the iterative decoder makes explicit use of the code's degeneracy. Finally, there is complete freedom in the code design in terms of length, rate, memory size, and interleaver choice. We define a quantum analogue of a state diagram that provides an efficient way to verify the properties of a quantum convolutional code, and in particular, its recursiveness and the presence of catastrophic error propagation. We prove that all recursive quantum convolutional encoders have catastrophic error propagation. In our constructions, the convolutional codes have thus been chosen to be noncatastrophic and nonrecursive. While the resulting families of turbo codes have bounded minimum distance, from a pragmatic point of view, the effective minimum distances of the codes that we have simulated are large enough not to degrade the iterative decoding performance up to reasonable word error rates and block sizes. With well-chosen constituent convolutional codes, we observe an important reduction of the word error rate as the code length increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract-This paper presents a modulation technique based on the generalized pulsewidth-modulation strategy for matrix converters. The proposed technique uses a discontinuous modulation to clamp each output leg of the converter during 1200 of the output voltage period, achieving a reduced number of switchings compared with the traditional modulation techniques. Aside from that, the major attraction of the proposed technique is an additional algorithm that lags the clamping of each output leg of the converter to synchronize it with the peak of the corresponding output current (load current), avoiding high switching losses (switching at high currents). Therefore, this technique reduces the number of switchings as well as guarantees only medium and low current switchings. Simulation and experimental results show the efficiency of the proposed technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a new robust congestion- control strategy for a differentiated-services (DiffServ) network. A sliding-mode-based variable structure control technique is utilized to design a congestion controller on the basis of a fluid flow model. The performance of our proposed scheme is then demonstrated on a DiffServ network. Our proposed algorithm is developed for an interconnected network as a hop-by-hop distributed-control approach. A formal analysis of the controlled network is conducted, where it is shown that the error dynamics of the overall time-delay-dependent system is ℒ∞ stable. Numerical simulations are provided to demonstrate the capabilities of our proposed methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a new robust and accurate synchronization procedure using a training sequence composed of chirp signals. We use a new integer frequency estimation algorithm and propose a new combination of a known fractional frequency offset estimation algorithm and timing synchronization algorithm. The training sequence is composed of one up and two down chirp symbols, also known as Newman phases. The integer frequency offset estimation algorithm uses the effect of timing and frequency offsets on the matched filter outputs of the chirp signals. Autocorrelation and reversed autocorrelation are used to acquire the timing instant and the fractional frequency offset. We present the complete timing and frequency synchronization procedure and study the output signals of the autocorrelation and reversed autocorrelation algorithms. Finally, we check the performance of the synchronization procedure via Monte Carlo simulation in several multipath channels. Our algorithms are accurate and more robust compared to previously published state-of-the art algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blind inversion of a linear and instantaneous mixture of source signals is a problem often encountered in many signal processing applications. Efficient fastICA (EFICA) offers an asymptotically optimal solution to this problem when all of the sources obey a generalized Gaussian distribution, at most one of them is Gaussian, and each is independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) in time. Likewise, weights-adjusted second-order blind identification (WASOBI) is asymptotically optimal when all the sources are Gaussian and can be modeled as autoregressive (AR) processes with distinct spectra. Nevertheless, real-life mixtures are likely to, contain both Gaussian AR and non-Gaussian i.i.d. sources, rendering WASOBI and EFICA severely suboptimal. In this paper, we propose a novel scheme for combining the strengths of EFICA and WASOBI in order to deal with such hybrid mixtures. Simulations show that our approach outperforms competing algorithms designed for separating similar mixtures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we introduce a novel way of performing real-valued optimization in the complex domain. This framework enables a direct complex optimization technique when the cost function satisfies the Brandwood's independent analyticity condition. In particular, this technique has been used to derive three algorithms, namely, kurtosis maximization using gradient update (KM-G), kurtosis maximization using fixed-point update (KM-F), and kurtosis maximization using Newton update (KM-N), to perform the complex independent component analysis (ICA) based on the maximization of the complex kurtosis cost function. The derivation and related analysis of the three algorithms are performed in the complex domain without using any complex-real mapping for differentiation and optimization. A general complex Newton rule is also derived for developing the KM-N algorithm. The real conjugate gradient algorithm is extended to the complex domain similar to the derivation of complex Newton rule. The simulation results indicate that the fixed-point version (KM-F) and gradient version (KM-G) are superior to other similar algorithms when the sources include both circular and noncircular distributions and the dimension is relatively high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the theory of estimation of monocomponent polynomial phase signals is well established, the theoretical and methodical treatment of multicomponent polynomial phase signals (mc-PPSs) is limited. In this paper, we investigate several aspects of parameter estimation for mc-PPSs and derive the Cramér-Rao bound. We show the limits of existing techniques and then propose a nonlinear least squares (NLS) approach. We also motivate the use the Nelder-Mead simplex algorithm for minimizing the nonlinear cost function. The slight increase in computational complexity is a tradeoff for improved mean square error performance, which is evidenced by simulation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computation of B1 fields is a key issue for determination and correction of intensity nonuniformity in magnetic resonance images. This paper presents a new method for computing transmitted and received B1 fields. Our method combines a modified MRI acquisition protocol and an estimation technique based on the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm and spatial filtering. It enables accurate estimation of transmitted and received B1 fields for both homogeneous and heterogeneous Objects. The method is validated using numerical simulations and experimental data from phantom and human scans. The experimental results are in agreement with theoretical expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new class of variable-structure (VS) algorithms for multiple-model (MM) estimation is presented, referred to as expected-mode augmentation (EMA). In the EMA approach, the original set of models is augmented by a variable set of models intended to match the expected value of the unknown true mode. These models are generated adaptively in real time as (globally or locally) probabilistically weighted sums of mode estimates over the model set This makes it possible to cover a large continuous mode space by a relatively small number of models at a given accuracy level. The paper presents new theoretical results for model-set design, a general formulation of the EMA approach, along with theoretical analysis and justification, and three algorithms for its practical implementation. The performance of the proposed EMA algorithms is evaluated via simulation of a generic maneuvering target tracking problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transmission-line modeling (TLM) is an established numerical simulation method for electromagnetics that has been employed in a wide variety of application areas. To date, TLM has been formulated primarily for structured (usually Cartesian) meshes. This paper presents and illustrates the application of a new TLM algorithm suitable for use with unstructured two-dimensional meshes based upon triangular elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new algorithm was developed, which reduces the self-force in particle-in-cell codes on unstructured meshes in a predictable and controllable way. This is accomplished by computing a charge density weighting function for a particle, which reproduces the Green's function solution to Poisson's equation at nodes when using a standard finite element method methodology. This provides a superior local potential and allows for particle–particle particle-mesh techniques to be used to subtract off local force contributions, including fictitious self-forces resulting in accurate long-range forces on a particle and improved local Coulomb collisions. Local physical forces are then computed using the Green's function on local particle pairs and added to the long-range forces. Results were shown with up to five orders reduction in self-force and superior intraparticle forces for two test cases. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We study network optimization that considers power minimization as an objective. Studies have shown that mechanisms such as speed scaling can significantly reduce the power consumption of telecommunication networks by matching the consumption of each network element to the amount of processing required for its carried traffic. Most existing research on speed scaling focuses on a single network element in isolation. We aim for a network-wide optimization. Specifically, we study a routing problem with the objective of provisioning guaranteed speed/bandwidth for a given demand matrix while minimizing power consumption. Optimizing the routes critically relies on the characteristic of the speed–power curve f(s), which is how power is consumed as a function of the processing speed s. If f is superadditive, we show that there is no bounded approximation in general for integral routing, i.e., each traffic demand follows a single path. This contrasts with the well-known logarithmic approximation for subadditive functions. However, for common speed–power curves such as polynomials f(s) = \mu s^\alpha, we are able to show a constant approximation via a simple scheme of randomized rounding. We also generalize this rounding approach to handle the case in which a nonzero startup cost \sigma appears in the speed–power curve, i.e., f(s) = \cases0, & if $s=0$\cr \sigma + \mu s^\alpha,& if $s>0$. We present an O((\sigma /\mu)^1/\alpha)-approximation, and we discuss why coming up with an approximation ratio independent of the startup cost may be hard. Finally, we provide simulation results to validate our algorithmic approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Many distributed applications require a group of destinations to be coordinated with a single source. Multicasting is a communication paradigm to implement these distributed applications. However in multicasting, if at least one of the members in the group cannot satisfy the service requirement of the application, the multicast request is said to be blocked. On the contrary in manycasting, destinations can join or leave the group, depending on whether it satisfies the service requirement or not. This dynamic membership based destination group decreases request blocking. We study the behavior of manycasting over optical burst-switched networks (OBS) based on multiple quality of service (QoS) constraints. These multiple constraints can be in the form of physical-layer impairments, transmission delay, and reliability of the link. Each application requires its own QoS threshold attributes. Destinations qualify only if they satisfy the required QoS constraints set up by the application. We have developed a mathematical model based on lattice algebra for this multiconstraint problem. Due to multiple constraints, burst blocking could be high. We propose two algorithms to minimize request blocking for the multiconstrained manycast (MCM) problem. Using extensive simulation results, we have calculated the average request blocking for the proposed algorithms. Our simulation results show that MCM-shortest path tree (MCM-SPT) algorithm performs better than MCM-dynamic membership (MCM-DM) for delay constrained services and real-time service, where as data services can be better provisioned using MCM-DM algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We design a resource allocation algorithm for down-link of orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems supporting real-time (RT) and best-effort (BE) services simultaneously over a time-varying wireless channel. The proposed algorithm aims at maximizing system throughput while satisfying quality of service (QoS) requirements of the RT and BE services. We take two kinds of QoS requirements into account. One is the required average transmission rate for both RT and BE services. The other is the tolerable average absolute deviation of transmission rate (AADTR) just for the RT services, which is used to control the fluctuation in transmission rates and to limit the RT packet delay to a moderate level. We formulate the optimization problem representing the resource allocation under consideration and solve it by using the dual optimization technique and the projection stochastic subgradient method. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm well meets the QoS requirements with the high throughput and outperforms the modified largest weighted delay first (M-LWDF) algorithm that supports similar QoS requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the dynamic modeling of a 3-D-serial underwater eel-like robot using recursive algorithms based on the Newton-Euler equations. It is stated that the proposed algorithms can be considered as a generalization of the recursive Newton-Euler dynamic algorithms of serial manipulators with fixed base. It is reported that the inverse model provides the acceleration of the head of the robot and the torque of the joints whereas the direct model provides the acceleration of the head and of the joints.

The performance of multiple-model filtering algorithms is examined for shock-variance models, which are a form of linear Gaussian switching models. The primary aim is to determine whether existing multiple-model filters are suitable for evaluating measurement likelihoods in classification applications, and under what conditions such classification models are viable. Simulation experiments are used to empirically examine the likelihood-evaluation performance of suboptimal merging and pruning algorithms as the number of state hypotheses per time step (i.e., algorithm order) increases. The second-order generalized pseudo-Bayes or (GPB(2)) algorithm is found to provide excellent performance relative to higher order GPB algorithms through order five. Likelihoods from fixed-size pruning (FSP) algorithms with increasing numbers of state hypotheses are used to validate the GPB likelihoods, and convergence of the FSP likelihoods to the GPB values is observed. These results suggest that GPB(2) is a reasonable approximation to the unrealizable optimal algorithm for classification. In all cases except very-low-noise situations, the interacting multiple model (1MM) algorithm is found to provide an adequate approximation to GPB(2). Sensitivity of likelihood estimates to certain model parameters is also investigated via a mismatch analysis. As a classification tool, the discrimination capabilities of the measurement likelihoods are tested using an idealized forced-choice experiment, both with ideal and with mismatched models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use evolutionary game theory (EGT) to investigate the dynamics and equilibria of selection methods in coevolutionary algorithms. The canonical selection method used in EGT is equivalent to the standard "fitness-proportional" selection method used in evolutionary algorithms. All attractors of the EGT dynamic are Nash equilibria; we focus on simple symmetric variable-sum games that have polymorphic Nash-equilibrium attractors. Against the dynamics of proportional selection, we contrast the behaviors of truncation selection, (μ, λ), (μ + λ), linear ranking, Boltzmann, and tournament selection. Except for Boltzmann selection, each of the methods we test unconditionally fail to achieve polymorphic Nash equilibrium. Instead, we find point attractors that lack game-theoretic justification, cyclic dynamics, or chaos. Boltzmann selection converges onto polymorphic Nash equilibrium only when selection pressure is sufficiently low; otherwise, we obtain attracting limit-cycles or chaos. Coevolutionary algorithms are often used to search for solutions (e.g., Nash equilibria) of games of strategy; our results show that many selection methods are inappropriate for finding polymorphic Nash solutions to variable-sum games. Another application of coevolution is to model other systems; our results emphasize the degree to which the model's behavior is sensitive to implementation details regarding selection--details that we might not otherwise believe to be critical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient algorithm without flux correction for the simulation of corona discharges is proposed. The algorithm referred to as the position-state separation (POSS) method is used to solve convection-dominated continuity equations commonly present in corona discharges modeling. The proposed solution method combines an Eulerian scheme for the solution of the convective acceleration, the diffusion and the reaction subproblems, and a Lagrangian scheme for the solution of the linear convection subproblem. Several classical numerical experiments in different dimensions and coordinate systems are conducted to demonstrate the excellent performance of POSS regarding low computational cost, robustness, and high resolution. It is shown that the time complexity of the method when dealing with the convection of charged particles increases linearly with the number of unknowns. For the simulation of corona discharges where local electric fields do not change strongly in time, the time step of POSS could be much larger than the Courant–Friedrichs–Lewy time step. These special features enable POSS to have great potential in the modeling of corona discharges in long interelectrode gaps and for long simulation times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study which examined a macromodeling algorithm for time domain simulation of interconnects. Methodology; Results; Conclusion.

Studies the deinterleaving of pulse trains transmitted by N independent sources. Introduction and problem formulation; Assumptions and outline of algorithm; Simulation results.

Blind identification of underdetermined mixtures can be addressed efficiently by using the second ChAracteristic Function (CAF) of the observations. Our contribution is twofold. First, we propose the use of a Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm, herein called LEMACAF, as an alternative to an Alternating Least Squares algorithm known as ALESCAF, which has been used recently in the case of real mixtures of real sources. Second, we extend the CAF approach to the case of complex sources for which the previous algorithms are not suitable. We show that the complex case involves an appropriate tensor stowage, which is linked to a particular tensor decomposition. An extension of the LEMACAF algorithm, called LEMACAF\BBC then proposed to blindly estimate the mixing matrix by exploiting this tensor decomposition. In our simulation results, we first provide performance comparisons between third- and fourth-order versions of ALESCAF and LEMACAF in various situations involving BPSK sources. Then, a performance study of LEMACAF\BBC is carried out considering 4-QAM sources. These results show that the proposed algorithm provides satisfying estimations especially in the case of a large underdeterminacy level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel real-time recurrent neural network (RTRNN) approach is presented for dynamic behavioral macromodeling of nonlinear microwave devices. A modified real-time recurrent learning algorithm is developed to train the neural network model. This proposed RTRNN model can directly be developed from input-output waveform data without having to rely on the internal details of the devices. Once trained, this model provides fast and accurate prediction on the analog behaviors of the nonlinear microwave devices under modeling, which can readily be incorporated into high-level circuit simulation and optimization. This RTRNN approach enhances the neural modeling speed and accuracy. Moreover, it also provides additional flexibility in handing diverse needs of nonlinear microwave circuit designs in the time domain, such as single-tone and multiple-tone simulations and large-signal simulations by comparison to the previously published neural models. The validity of this proposed approach is illustrated through behavioral macromodeling of two typical microwave devices: power amplifiers and pHEMTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a Monte Carlo algorithm that generates points randomly and uniformly on a set of arbitrary surfaces. The algorithm is completely general and only requires the geometry modeling software to provide the intersection points of an arbitrary line with the surface being sampled. We demonstrate the algorithm using the Geant4 Monte Carlo simulation toolkit. The efficiency of the sampling algorithm is discussed, along with various options in the implementation and example applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Channel estimation for single-input multiple-output time-invariant channels is considered using superimposed training. A periodic (nonrandom) training sequence is arithmetically added (superimposed) at low power to the information sequence at the transmitter before modulation and transmission. We extend a recently proposed first-order statistics-based channel estimation approach (IEEE Commun. Lett., vol. 7, p. 413, 2003) to iterative joint channel estimation and data detection using a conditional maximum likelihood approach where the information sequence is exploited to enhance performance instead of being viewed as interference. An approximate performance analysis of the iterative channel estimation method is also presented under certain simplifying assumptions. Illustrative computer simulation examples are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent results by Van Buskirk et al. have broken the record set by Yavne in 1968 for the lowest exact count of real additions and multiplications to compute a power-of-two discrete Fourier transform (DFT). Here, we present a simple recursive modification of the split-radix algorithm that computes the DFT with asymptotically about 6% fewer operations than Yavne, matching the count achieved by Van Buskirk's program-generation framework. We also discuss the application of our algorithm to real-data and real-symmetric (discrete cosine) transforms, where we are again able to achieve lower arithmetic counts than previously published algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new algorithm for narrowband interference suppression in direct-sequence spread-spectrum (DS-SS) communications is presented. The algorithm combines the undecimated wavelet packet transform (UWPT) with frequency shifts to confine the interference energy in a subband that is subsequently eliminated. Computer simulation shows a robust performance that appears to be independent of the interference frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]