Timing and Carrier Synchronization in Wireless Communication Systems: A Survey and Classification of Research in the Last 5 Years

Timing and carrier synchronization is a fundamental requirement for any wireless communication system to work properly. Timing synchronization is the process by which a receiver node determines the correct instants of time at which to sample the incoming signal. Carrier synchronization is the process by which a receiver adapts the frequency and phase of its local carrier oscillator with those of the received signal. In this paper, we survey the literature over the last 5 years (2010–2014) and present a comprehensive literature review and classification of the recent research progress in achieving timing and carrier synchronization in single-input single-output (SISO), multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), cooperative relaying, and multiuser/multicell interference networks. Considering both single-carrier and multi-carrier communication systems, we survey and categorize the timing and carrier synchronization techniques proposed for the different communication systems focusing on the system model assumptions for synchronization, the synchronization challenges, and the state-of-the-art synchronization solutions and their limitations. Finally, we envision some future research directions

On Development of Some Soft Computing Based Multiuser Detection Techniques for SDMA–OFDM Wireless Communication System

Space Division Multiple Access(SDMA) based technique as a subclass of Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) systems achieves high spectral efficiency through bandwidth reuse by multiple users. On the other hand, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) mitigates the impairments of the propagation channel. The combination of SDMA and OFDM has emerged as a most competitive technology for future wireless communication system. In the SDMA uplink, multiple users communicate simultaneously with a multiple antenna Base Station (BS) sharing the same frequency band by exploring their unique user specific-special spatial signature. Different Multiuser Detection (MUD) schemes have been proposed at the BS receiver to identify users correctly by mitigating the multiuser interference. However, most of the classical MUDs fail to separate the users signals in the over load scenario, where the number of users exceed the number of receiving antennas. On the other hand, due to exhaustive search mechanism, the optimal Maximum Likelihood (ML) detector is limited by high computational complexity, which increases exponentially with increasing number of simultaneous users. Hence, cost function minimization based Minimum Error Rate (MER) detectors are preferred, which basically minimize the probability of error by iteratively updating receiver’s weights using adaptive algorithms such as Steepest Descent (SD), Conjugate Gradient (CG) etc. The first part of research proposes Optimization Techniques (OTs) aided MER detectors to overcome the shortfalls of the CG based MER detectors. Popular metaheuristic search algorithms like Adaptive Genetic Algorithm (AGA), Adaptive Differential Evolution Algorithm (ADEA) and Invasive Weed Optimization (IWO), which rely on an intelligent search of a large but finite solution space using statistical methods, have been applied for finding the optimal weight vectors for MER MUD. Further, it is observed in an overload SDMA–OFDM system that the channel output phasor constellation often becomes linearly non-separable. With increasing the number of users, the receiver weight optimization task turns out to be more difficult due to the exponentially increased number of dimensions of the weight matrix. As a result, MUD becomes a challenging multidimensional optimization problem. Therefore, signal classification requires a nonlinear solution. Considering this, the second part of research work suggests Artificial Neural Network (ANN) based MUDs on thestandard Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) and Radial Basis Function (RBF) frameworks fo

Blind channel identification/equalization with applications in wireless communications

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

Channel estimation for SISO and MIMO OFDM communications systems.

Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.Telecommunications in the current information age is increasingly relying on the wireless link. This is because wireless communication has made possible a variety of services ranging from voice to data and now to multimedia. Consequently, demand for new wireless capacity is growing rapidly at a very alarming rate. In a bid to cope with challenges of increasing demand for higher data rate, better quality of service, and higher network capacity, there is a migration from Single Input Single Output (SISO) antenna technology to a more promising Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) antenna technology. On the other hand, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) technique has emerged as a very popular multi-carrier modulation technique to combat the problems associated with physical properties of the wireless channels such as multipath fading, dispersion, and interference. The combination of MIMO technology with OFDM techniques, known as MIMO-OFDM Systems, is considered as a promising solution to enhance the data rate of future broadband wireless communication Systems. This thesis addresses a major area of challenge to both SISO-OFDM and MIMO-OFDM Systems; estimation of accurate channel state information (CSI) in order to make possible coherent detection of the transmitted signal at the receiver end of the system. Hence, the first novel contribution of this thesis is the development of a low complexity adaptive algorithm that is robust against both slow and fast fading channel scenarios, in comparison with other algorithms employed in literature, to implement soft iterative channel estimator for turbo equalizer-based receiver for single antenna communication Systems. Subsequently, a Fast Data Projection Method (FDPM) subspace tracking algorithm is adapted to derive Channel Impulse Response Estimator for implementation of Decision Directed Channel Estimation (DDCE) for Single Input Single Output - Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (SISO-OFDM) Systems. This is implemented in the context of a more realistic Fractionally Spaced-Channel Impulse Response (FS-CIR) channel model, as against the channel characterized by a Sample Spaced-Channel Impulse Response (SS)-CIR widely assumed by other authors. In addition, a fast convergence Variable Step Size Normalized Least Mean Square (VSSNLMS)-based predictor, with low computational complexity in comparison with others in literatures, is derived for the implementation of the CIR predictor module of the DDCE scheme. A novel iterative receiver structure for the FDPM-based Decision Directed Channel Estimation scheme is also designed for SISO-OFDM Systems. The iterative idea is based on Turbo iterative principle. It is shown that improvement in the performance can be achieved with the iterative DDCE scheme for OFDM system in comparison with the non iterative scheme. Lastly, an iterative receiver structure for FDPM-based DDCE scheme earlier designed for SISO OFDM is extended to MIMO-OFDM Systems. In addition, Variable Step Size Normalized Least Mean Square (VSSNLMS)-based channel transfer function estimator is derived in the context of MIMO Channel for the implementation of the CTF estimator module of the iterative Decision Directed Channel Estimation scheme for MIMO-OFDM Systems in place of linear minimum mean square error (MMSE) criterion. The VSSNLMS-based channel transfer function estimator is found to show improved MSE performance of about -4 MSE (dB) at SNR of 5dB in comparison with linear MMSE-based channel transfer function estimator

Proceedings of the Fifth International Mobile Satellite Conference 1997

Satellite-based mobile communications systems provide voice and data communications to users over a vast geographic area. The users may communicate via mobile or hand-held terminals, which may also provide access to terrestrial communications services. While previous International Mobile Satellite Conferences have concentrated on technical advances and the increasing worldwide commercial activities, this conference focuses on the next generation of mobile satellite services. The approximately 80 papers included here cover sessions in the following areas: networking and protocols; code division multiple access technologies; demand, economics and technology issues; current and planned systems; propagation; terminal technology; modulation and coding advances; spacecraft technology; advanced systems; and applications and experiments

Detecting and characterising the protein arginine methyltransferase 1 substrate profile in breast cancer

PRMT1 is a known contributor to breast cancer through methylation of histone and non-histone substrates, but PRMT1-mediated transcriptional coactivation by deposition of H4R3me2a remains understudied. As a result, potential contributions to malignant gene expression via H4R3me2a deposition remain largely unknown. To confront this issue, we made efforts to optimise bio-orthogonal profiling by utilising a PRMT1-Y29F/M38G-Pob-SAM pairing to label histone H4 with a surrogate alkynyl moiety. Although further optimisation is required, data gathered so far suggest that this technology may prove a viable option for genome-wide analysis of H4R3me2a in breast cancer, enabling global comparisons of this epigenetic mark with non-transformed mammary epithelial cells. In addition, the biochemical consequences of PRMT1 interaction with histone code reader SPIN1 were characterised, after SPIN1 was identified as a breast cancer-enriched interactor of PRMT1 using SILAC quantitative proteomics. SPIN1 was found to positively regulate PRMT1 transcription, making it challenging to validate PRMT1-dependent methylation of SPIN1 in vitro. In contrast, recombinant PRMT1 methylated immunoprecipitated SPIN1, possibly at R117 within its P loop, suggesting a role for R117 in modulating phosphate binding. Supporting this, PRMT1-mediated SPIN1 methylation in a cell-free context was enhanced in phosphate-free conditions. Finally, expression of SPIN1-R117K promoted S-phase cell cycle accumulation, implying that R117 methylation is biologically significant. Ultimately, these findings may expose a SPIN1-PRMT1 axis that can be therapeutically targeted in breast cancer

Dichotomic role of NAADP/two-pore channel 2/Ca2+ signaling in regulating neural differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells

Poster Presentation - Stem Cells and Pluripotency: abstract no. 1866The mobilization of intracellular Ca2+stores is involved in diverse cellular functions, including cell proliferation and differentiation. At least three endogenous Ca2+mobilizing messengers have been identified, including inositol trisphosphate (IP3), cyclic adenosine diphosphoribose (cADPR), and nicotinic adenine acid dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP). Similar to IP3, NAADP can mobilize calcium release in a wide variety of cell types and species, from plants to animals. Moreover, it has been previously shown that NAADP but not IP3-mediated Ca2+increases can potently induce neuronal differentiation in PC12 cells. Recently, two pore channels (TPCs) have been identified as a novel family of NAADP-gated calcium release channels in endolysosome. Therefore, it is of great interest to examine the role of TPC2 in the neural differentiation of mouse ES cells. We found that the expression of TPC2 is markedly decreased during the initial ES cell entry into neural progenitors, and the levels of TPC2 gradually rebound during the late stages of neurogenesis. Correspondingly, perturbing the NAADP signaling by TPC2 knockdown accelerates mouse ES cell differentiation into neural progenitors but inhibits these neural progenitors from committing to the final neural lineage. Interestingly, TPC2 knockdown has no effect on the differentiation of astrocytes and oligodendrocytes of mouse ES cells. Overexpression of TPC2, on the other hand, inhibits mouse ES cell from entering the neural lineage. Taken together, our data indicate that the NAADP/TPC2-mediated Ca2+signaling pathway plays a temporal and dichotomic role in modulating the neural lineage entry of ES cells; in that NAADP signaling antagonizes ES cell entry to early neural progenitors, but promotes late neural differentiation.postprin

Smoking and Second Hand Smoking in Adolescents with Chronic Kidney Disease: A Report from the Chronic Kidney Disease in Children (CKiD) Cohort Study

The goal of this study was to determine the prevalence of smoking and second hand smoking [SHS] in adolescents with CKD and their relationship to baseline parameters at enrollment in the CKiD, observational cohort study of 600 children (aged 1-16 yrs) with Schwartz estimated GFR of 30-90 ml/min/1.73m2. 239 adolescents had self-report survey data on smoking and SHS exposure: 21 [9%] subjects had “ever” smoked a cigarette. Among them, 4 were current and 17 were former smokers. Hypertension was more prevalent in those that had “ever” smoked a cigarette (42%) compared to non-smokers (9%), p\u3c0.01. Among 218 non-smokers, 130 (59%) were male, 142 (65%) were Caucasian; 60 (28%) reported SHS exposure compared to 158 (72%) with no exposure. Non-smoker adolescents with SHS exposure were compared to those without SHS exposure. There was no racial, age, or gender differences between both groups. Baseline creatinine, diastolic hypertension, C reactive protein, lipid profile, GFR and hemoglobin were not statistically different. Significantly higher protein to creatinine ratio (0.90 vs. 0.53, p\u3c0.01) was observed in those exposed to SHS compared to those not exposed. Exposed adolescents were heavier than non-exposed adolescents (85th percentile vs. 55th percentile for BMI, p\u3c 0.01). Uncontrolled casual systolic hypertension was twice as prevalent among those exposed to SHS (16%) compared to those not exposed to SHS (7%), though the difference was not statistically significant (p= 0.07). Adjusted multivariate regression analysis [OR (95% CI)] showed that increased protein to creatinine ratio [1.34 (1.03, 1.75)] and higher BMI [1.14 (1.02, 1.29)] were independently associated with exposure to SHS among non-smoker adolescents. These results reveal that among adolescents with CKD, cigarette use is low and SHS is highly prevalent. The association of smoking with hypertension and SHS with increased proteinuria suggests a possible role of these factors in CKD progression and cardiovascular outcomes