33,287 research outputs found
Estimation of Sparse MIMO Channels with Common Support
We consider the problem of estimating sparse communication channels in the
MIMO context. In small to medium bandwidth communications, as in the current
standards for OFDM and CDMA communication systems (with bandwidth up to 20
MHz), such channels are individually sparse and at the same time share a common
support set. Since the underlying physical channels are inherently
continuous-time, we propose a parametric sparse estimation technique based on
finite rate of innovation (FRI) principles. Parametric estimation is especially
relevant to MIMO communications as it allows for a robust estimation and
concise description of the channels. The core of the algorithm is a
generalization of conventional spectral estimation methods to multiple input
signals with common support. We show the application of our technique for
channel estimation in OFDM (uniformly/contiguous DFT pilots) and CDMA downlink
(Walsh-Hadamard coded schemes). In the presence of additive white Gaussian
noise, theoretical lower bounds on the estimation of SCS channel parameters in
Rayleigh fading conditions are derived. Finally, an analytical spatial channel
model is derived, and simulations on this model in the OFDM setting show the
symbol error rate (SER) is reduced by a factor 2 (0 dB of SNR) to 5 (high SNR)
compared to standard non-parametric methods - e.g. lowpass interpolation.Comment: 12 pages / 7 figures. Submitted to IEEE Transactions on Communicatio
An architecture and methodology for the design and development of Technical Information Systems
In order to meet demands in the context of Technical Information Systems (TIS) pertaining to reliability, extensibility, maintainability, etc., we have developed an architectural framework with accompanying methodological guidelines for designing such systems. With the framework, we aim at complex multiapplication information systems using a repository to share data among applications. The framework proposes to keep a strict separation between Man-Machine-Interface and Model data, and provides design and implementation support to do this effectively.\ud
The framework and methodological guidelines have been developed in the context of the ESPRIT project IMPRESS. The project also provided for ldquotesting groundsrdquo in the form of a TIS for the Spanish Electricity company Iberdrola.\ud
This work has been conducted within the ESPRIT project IMPRESS (Integrated, Multi-Paradigm, Reliable and Extensible Storage System), ESPRIT No. 635
Hepatitis B and C co-Infection are independent predictors of progressive kidney disease in HIV-positive, antiretroviral-treated adults
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in HIV-positive individuals. Hepatitis C (HCV) co-infection has been associated with increased risk of CKD, but prior studies lack information on potential mechanisms. We evaluated the association between HCV or hepatitis B (HBV) co-infection and progressive CKD among 3,441 antiretroviral-treated clinical trial participants. Progressive CKD was defined as the composite of end-stage renal disease, renal death, or significant glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decline (25% decline to eGFR 800,000 IU/ml had increased odds (OR 3.07; 95% CI 1.60–5.90). Interleukin-6, hyaluronic acid, and the FIB-4 hepatic fibrosis index were higher among participants who developed progressive CKD, but were no longer associated with progressive CKD after adjustment. Future studies should validate the relationship between HCV viremia and CKD
Detection of ultra-weak magnetic fields in Am stars: beta UMa and theta Leo
An extremely weak circularly polarized signature was recently discovered in
spectral lines of the chemically peculiar Am star Sirius A. A weak surface
magnetic field was proposed to account for the observed polarized signal, but
the shape of the phase-averaged signature, dominated by a prominent positive
lobe, is not expected in the standard theory of the Zeeman effect. We aim at
verifying the presence of weak circularly polarized signatures in two other
bright Am stars, beta UMa and theta Leo, and investigating the physical origin
of Sirius-like polarized signals further. We present here a set of deep
spectropolarimetric observations of beta UMa and theta Leo, observed with the
NARVAL spectropolarimeter. We analyzed all spectra with the Least Squares
Deconvolution multiline procedure. To improve the signal-to-noise ratio and
detect extremely weak signatures in Stokes V profiles, we co-added all
available spectra of each star (around 150 observations each time). Finally, we
ran several tests to evaluate whether the detected signatures are consistent
with the behavior expected from the Zeeman effect. The line profiles of the two
stars display circularly polarized signatures similar in shape and amplitude to
the observations previously gathered for Sirius A. Our series of tests brings
further evidence of a magnetic origin of the recorded signal. These new
detections suggest that very weak magnetic fields may well be present in the
photospheres of a significant fraction of intermediate-mass stars. The strongly
asymmetric Zeeman signatures measured so far in Am stars (featuring a dominant
single-sign lobe) are not expected in the standard theory of the Zeeman effect
and may be linked to sharp vertical gradients in photospheric velocities and
magnetic field strengths
ESSENTIAL PROPERTIES OF LANGUAGE FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF AUTOPOIESIS
The structuralist heritage in linguistics continues to obscure the essential properties of natural language as an empirical phenomenon. It is argued that the new framework of autopoiesis possesses a greater explanatory power, as it assumes the connotational na-ture of language. The key notions of representation, sign and signification, interpreta-tion, intentionality and communication, and reciprocal causality, approached from the autopoietic angle, allow for deeper insights into the essence of language which is as a kind of adaptive behavior of an organism involving a system constituted by signs of signs
Time Delay Estimation from Low Rate Samples: A Union of Subspaces Approach
Time delay estimation arises in many applications in which a multipath medium
has to be identified from pulses transmitted through the channel. Various
approaches have been proposed in the literature to identify time delays
introduced by multipath environments. However, these methods either operate on
the analog received signal, or require high sampling rates in order to achieve
reasonable time resolution. In this paper, our goal is to develop a unified
approach to time delay estimation from low rate samples of the output of a
multipath channel. Our methods result in perfect recovery of the multipath
delays from samples of the channel output at the lowest possible rate, even in
the presence of overlapping transmitted pulses. This rate depends only on the
number of multipath components and the transmission rate, but not on the
bandwidth of the probing signal. In addition, our development allows for a
variety of different sampling methods. By properly manipulating the low-rate
samples, we show that the time delays can be recovered using the well-known
ESPRIT algorithm. Combining results from sampling theory with those obtained in
the context of direction of arrival estimation methods, we develop necessary
and sufficient conditions on the transmitted pulse and the sampling functions
in order to ensure perfect recovery of the channel parameters at the minimal
possible rate. Our results can be viewed in a broader context, as a sampling
theorem for analog signals defined over an infinite union of subspaces
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