6664531
Analysis of sparse-partial wavelength conversion in wavelength-routed WDM networks
Wavelength conversion has been shown as one of the key techniques to improve blocking performance in a wavelength-routed all-optical network. Given that wavelength converters nowadays remain very expensive, how to make effective use of a limited number of wavelength converters becomes an important issue. We propose sparse-partial wavelength conversion (SPWC) network architecture with the inherent flexibility that can facilitate network carriers to migrate the optical backbone to support wavelength conversion. We demonstrate that this network architecture can significantly save the number of wavelength converters, yet achieving excellent blocking performance. Theoretical and simulation results indicate that, the performance of a wavelength-routed WDM network with only 1-5%of wavelength conversion capability is very close to that with full-complete wavelength conversion capability.
9603853
COPACC: A Cooperative Proxy-Client Caching System for On-Demand Media Streaming
Proxy caching is a key technique to reduce transmission cost for on-demand multimedia streaming. However, its effectiveness is limited by the insufficient storage space and weak cooperations among proxies and their clients. In this paper, we propose COPACC, a novel cooperative proxy-and-client caching system that combines the advantages of both proxy caching and peer-to-peer (P2P) client communications. We propose a comprehensive suite of protocols to facilitate the interactions among different network entities in COPACC. We also develop an efficient cache allocation algorithm to minimize the aggregated transmission cost of the whole system. Simulation results demonstrate that COPACC achieves remarkably lower transmission cost. Moreover, it is much more robust than a pure P2P system in the presence of node failures.
39795223
On the Use of Sender Adaptation to Improve Stability and Fairness for Layered Video Multicast
Layered multicast has been shown as a promising technique for distributing a video program to a potentially large number of heterogeneous receivers. While several layered multicast approaches have been proposed, prior work has almost exclusively focused on improving the perceived video quality in terms of PSNR value or/and the fairness among different receivers. In this paper, we first argue that stability is another major index for the video playback quality; in an extreme case even with the best possible achievable PSNR value, the frequent switching between different layers still can lead to significant quality degradation. We then introduce an end-to-end adaptation framework that improves the stability and fairness for receivers by employing a dynamic layer rate allocation scheme on the sender's side. Specifically, we propose a new metric, called Stability-aware Fairness Index (SFI), which can capture both the stability as well as fairness. We then formulate the optimal layer rate allocation problem with the objective of minimizing the expected SFI for all the receivers in a multicast session, and derive an efficient algorithm to solve the problem. Simulation results demonstrate that our scheme can significantly improve the degree of stability and fairness, thus leading to better video playback quality.
14806639
A unified framework for resource discovery and QoS-aware provider selection in ad hoc networks
With the rising popularity of network-based applications and the potential use of mobile ad hoc networks in civilian life, an efficient resource discovery service is needed in such networks for quickly locating resource providers. In addition, to improve user experience, QoS awareness is also crucial. In this paper, we identify the challenges when basic resource discovery techniques for the Internet are used in mobile ad hoc networks. We then propose a framework that provides a unified solution to the discovery of resources and QoS-aware selection of resource providers. The key entities of this framework are a set of self-organized discovery agents. These agents manage the directory information of resources using hash indexing. They also dynamically partition the network into domains and collect intra- and inter-domain QoS information to select appropriate providers. Simulation results show that our framework improves the QoS delivered to the clients, while the cost and response time are kept at a low level.
18232832
Tree-assisted gossiping for overlay video distribution
Given its readily deployable nature and broad applications for digital entertainment, video streaming through overlay networks has received much attention recently. While a tree topology is often advocated due to its scalability, it suffers from discontinuous playback under highly dynamic network environments. For on-demand streaming, the asynchronicity among client requests further aggravates the problem. On the other hand, gossip protocols using random message dissemination, though robust, fail to meet the real-time constraints for streaming applications. In this paper, we propose TAG, a Tree-Assisted Gossip protocol that addresses the above issues. TAG adopts a tree structure with time indexing to accommodate asynchronous requests, and an efficient pull-based gossip algorithm to mitigate the impact of network dynamicity. It seamlessly integrates these two approaches and realizes their best features, namely, low delay with a regular tree topology, and robust delivery with smart switching among multiple paths, thus making effective use of the available bandwidth in the network. We evaluate the performance of TAG under various settings, and the results demonstrate that it is quite robust in the presence of local and global bandwidth fluctuations. As compared to pure tree-based overlay VOD system, it achieves much lower and stable segment missing rates, even under highly dynamic network conditions.
12387425
Self-Protection for Wireless Sensor Networks
Wireless sensor networks have recently been suggested for many surveillance applications such as object monitoring, path protection, or area coverage. Since the sensors themselves are important and critical objects in the network, a natural question is whether they need certain level of protection, so as to resist the attacks targeting on them directly. If this is necessary, then who should provide this protection, and how it can be achieved? We refer to the above problem as self-protection, as we believe the sensors themselves are the best (and often the only) candidate to provide such protection. In this papel; we for the jirst time present a formal study on the selfprotection problem in wireless sensor networks. We show that, if we simply focus on the quality ofjield or object covering, the sensors might not necessarily be self-protected, which in turn makes the system vulnerable. We then investigate dzreerent forms of self-pmtections, and show that the problems are generally NP-complete. We develop eficient approximation algorithms for centrally-controlled sensors. We then extend the algorithms to filly distributed implementation, and introduce a smart sleep-scheduling algorithm that minimize the energy consumption.
3535312
Evolutionary group robots for collective world modeling
This paper is concerned with collective problem-solving wi th a group of autonomous agents. The major challenges addressed are (1) how to enable the distributed agents to dynamically acqu ire their goal-directed cooperative behaviors in performing a certain task, and (2) how to apply the methodology of group learning t o handle ill-defined problems, e.g., problems without comple te r presentations. In response to those challenges, we have deve lop d anevolutionary self-organizationapproach to collective problemsolving, and furthermore, demonstrated the implemented ap proach in tackling a specific problem in intelligent robotics; name ly, how to collectively build a global spatial representation, e.g ., an artificial potential field map, of an unknown environment. In the pa per, we shall present both the detailed formulation of our approa ch and the results of empirical validation in the context of world m odeling with a group of distributed autonomous robots.
2599117
Composite Synchronization in Parallel Discrete-Event Simulation
This paper considers a technique for composing global (barrier-style) and local (channel scanning) synchronization protocols within a single parallel discrete-event simulation. Composition is attractive because it allows one to tailor the synchronization mechanism to the model being simulated. We first motivate the problem by showing the large performance gap that can be introduced by a mismatch of model and synchronization method. Our solution calls for each channel between submodels to be classified as synchronous or asynchronous. We mathematically formulate the problem of optimally classifying channels and show that, in principle, the optimal classification can be obtained in time proportional to max{C/spl times/log C, V/spl times/N}, where C is the number of channels, V the number of unique minimal delays on those channels, and N is the number of submodels. We then demonstrate an implementation which finds an optimal solution at runtime and consider its performance on network topologies, including one of the global Internet at the autonomous system level. We find that the automated method effectively determines channel assignments that maximize performance.
4908568
Insignificant shadow detection for video segmentation
To prevent moving cast shadows from being misunderstood as part of moving objects in change detection based video segmentation, this paper proposes a novel approach to the cast shadow detection based on the edge and region information in multiple frames. First, an initial change detection mask containing moving objects and cast shadows is obtained. Then a Canny edge map is generated. After that, the shadow region is detected and removed through multiframe integration, edge matching, and region growing. Finally, a post processing procedure is used to eliminate noise and tune the boundaries of the objects. Our approach can be used for video segmentation in indoor environment. The experimental results demonstrate its good performance.
205905865
Chinese document layout analysis based on adaptive split-and-merge and qualitative spatial reasoning
The ultimate goal of automatic document processing is to understand the semantics of a document. Towards such an end, one of the primary enabling steps has been to first reason about the layout of the document by means of page segmentation and segment spatial reasoning or labeling. This, in turn, allows for the derivation of document logical organization. This paper describes a generic document segmentation and geometric relation labeling method with applications to Chinese document analysis. Unlike the previous document segmentation methods where text spacing, border lines, and/or a priori layout models based on template matching processing are performed, the present method begins with a hierarchy of partitioned image layers where inhomogeneous higher-level regions are recursively partitioned into lower-level rectangular subregions and at the same time lower-level smaller homogeneous regions are merged into larger homogeneous regions. Furthermore, the derived segment data structure readily enables efficient search for geometric relationships between identified document segments.
8844798
Learning not to share
Strong reasons exist for executing a large-scale discrete-event simulation on a cluster of processor nodes (each of which may be a shared-memory multiprocessor or a uniprocessor). This is the architecture of the largest scale parallel machines, and so the largest simulation problems can only be solved this way. It is a common architecture even in less esoteric settings, and is suitable for memory-bound simulations. This paper describes our approach to porting the SSF simulation kernel to this architecture, using the Message Passing Interface (MPI) system. The notable feature of this transformation is to support an efficient two-level synchronization and communication scheme that addresses cost discrepancies between shared-memory and distributed memory. In the initial implementation, we use a globally synchronous approach between distributed-memory nodes, and an asynchronous shared-memory approach within a SMP cluster. The SSF API reflects inherently shared-memory assumptions; we report therefore on our approach for porting an SSF kernel to a cluster of SMP nodes. Experimental results on two architectures are described, for a model of TCP/IP traffic flows over a hierarchical network. The performance on a distributed network of commodity SMPs connected through ethernet is seen to frequently exceed performance on a Sun shared-memory multiprocessor.