Adaptive Space-Time-Spreading-Assisted Wideband CDMA Systems Communicating over Dispersive Nakagami-m Fading Channels

In this contribution, the performance of wideband code-division multiple-access (W-CDMA) systems using space-timespreading-(STS-) based transmit diversity is investigated, when frequency-selective Nakagami-m fading channels, multiuser interference, and background noise are considered. The analysis and numerical results suggest that the achievable diversity order is the product of the frequency-selective diversity order and the transmit diversity order. Furthermore, both the transmit diversity and the frequency-selective diversity have the same order of importance. Since W-CDMA signals are subjected to frequency-selective fading, the number of resolvable paths at the receiver may vary over a wide range depending on the transmission environment encountered. It can be shown that, for wireless channels where the frequency selectivity is sufficiently high, transmit diversity may be not necessitated. Under this case, multiple transmission antennas can be leveraged into an increased bitrate. Therefore, an adaptive STS-based transmission scheme is then proposed for improving the throughput ofW-CDMA systems. Our numerical results demonstrate that this adaptive STS-based transmission scheme is capable of significantly improving the effective throughput of W-CDMA systems. Specifically, the studied W-CDMA system’s bitrate can be increased by a factor of three at the modest cost of requiring an extra 0.4 dB or 1.2 dB transmitted power in the context of the investigated urban or suburban areas, respectively

Adaptive Modulation and Coding and Cooperative ARQ in a Cognitive Radio System

In this paper, a joint cross-layer design of adaptive modulation and coding (AMC) and cooperative automatic repeat request (C-ARQ) scheme is proposed for a secondary user in a shared-spectrum environment. First, based on the statistical descriptions of the channel, closed-form expressions of the average spectral efficiency (SE) and the average packet loss rate (PLR) are presented. Then, the cross-layer scheme is designed, with the aim of maximizing the average SE while maintaining the average PLR under a prescribed level. An optimization problem is formed, and a sub-optimal solution is found: the target packet error rates (PER) for the secondary system channels are obtained and the corresponding sub-optimal AMC rate adaptation policy is derived based on the target PERs. Finally, the average SE and the average PLR performance of the proposed scheme are presented

Selecting source image sensor nodes based on 2-hop information to improve image transmissions to mobile robot sinks in search \& rescue operations

We consider Robot-assisted Search $\&$ Rescue operations enhanced with some fixed image sensor nodes capable of capturing and sending visual information to a robot sink. In order to increase the performance of image transfer from image sensor nodes to the robot sinks we propose a 2-hop neighborhood information-based cover set selection to determine the most relevant image sensor nodes to activate. Then, in order to be consistent with our proposed approach, a multi-path extension of Greedy Perimeter Stateless Routing (called T-GPSR) wherein routing decisions are also based on 2-hop neighborhood information is proposed. Simulation results show that our proposal reduces packet losses, enabling fast packet delivery and higher visual quality of received images at the robot sink

Internet of Things-aided Smart Grid: Technologies, Architectures, Applications, Prototypes, and Future Research Directions

Traditional power grids are being transformed into Smart Grids (SGs) to address the issues in existing power system due to uni-directional information flow, energy wastage, growing energy demand, reliability and security. SGs offer bi-directional energy flow between service providers and consumers, involving power generation, transmission, distribution and utilization systems. SGs employ various devices for the monitoring, analysis and control of the grid, deployed at power plants, distribution centers and in consumers' premises in a very large number. Hence, an SG requires connectivity, automation and the tracking of such devices. This is achieved with the help of Internet of Things (IoT). IoT helps SG systems to support various network functions throughout the generation, transmission, distribution and consumption of energy by incorporating IoT devices (such as sensors, actuators and smart meters), as well as by providing the connectivity, automation and tracking for such devices. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive survey on IoT-aided SG systems, which includes the existing architectures, applications and prototypes of IoT-aided SG systems. This survey also highlights the open issues, challenges and future research directions for IoT-aided SG systems

Multimedia delivery in the future internet

The term “Networked Media” implies that all kinds of media including text, image, 3D graphics, audio and video are produced, distributed, shared, managed and consumed on-line through various networks, like the Internet, Fiber, WiFi, WiMAX, GPRS, 3G and so on, in a convergent manner [1]. This white paper is the contribution of the Media Delivery Platform (MDP) cluster and aims to cover the Networked challenges of the Networked Media in the transition to the Future of the Internet. Internet has evolved and changed the way we work and live. End users of the Internet have been confronted with a bewildering range of media, services and applications and of technological innovations concerning media formats, wireless networks, terminal types and capabilities. And there is little evidence that the pace of this innovation is slowing. Today, over one billion of users access the Internet on regular basis, more than 100 million users have downloaded at least one (multi)media file and over 47 millions of them do so regularly, searching in more than 160 Exabytes1 of content. In the near future these numbers are expected to exponentially rise. It is expected that the Internet content will be increased by at least a factor of 6, rising to more than 990 Exabytes before 2012, fuelled mainly by the users themselves. Moreover, it is envisaged that in a near- to mid-term future, the Internet will provide the means to share and distribute (new) multimedia content and services with superior quality and striking flexibility, in a trusted and personalized way, improving citizens’ quality of life, working conditions, edutainment and safety. In this evolving environment, new transport protocols, new multimedia encoding schemes, cross-layer inthe network adaptation, machine-to-machine communication (including RFIDs), rich 3D content as well as community networks and the use of peer-to-peer (P2P) overlays are expected to generate new models of interaction and cooperation, and be able to support enhanced perceived quality-of-experience (PQoE) and innovative applications “on the move”, like virtual collaboration environments, personalised services/ media, virtual sport groups, on-line gaming, edutainment. In this context, the interaction with content combined with interactive/multimedia search capabilities across distributed repositories, opportunistic P2P networks and the dynamic adaptation to the characteristics of diverse mobile terminals are expected to contribute towards such a vision. Based on work that has taken place in a number of EC co-funded projects, in Framework Program 6 (FP6) and Framework Program 7 (FP7), a group of experts and technology visionaries have voluntarily contributed in this white paper aiming to describe the status, the state-of-the art, the challenges and the way ahead in the area of Content Aware media delivery platforms