Complex Independent Component Analysis of Frequency-Domain Electroencephalographic Data

Independent component analysis (ICA) has proven useful for modeling brain and electroencephalographic (EEG) data. Here, we present a new, generalized method to better capture the dynamics of brain signals than previous ICA algorithms. We regard EEG sources as eliciting spatio-temporal activity patterns, corresponding to, e.g., trajectories of activation propagating across cortex. This leads to a model of convolutive signal superposition, in contrast with the commonly used instantaneous mixing model. In the frequency-domain, convolutive mixing is equivalent to multiplicative mixing of complex signal sources within distinct spectral bands. We decompose the recorded spectral-domain signals into independent components by a complex infomax ICA algorithm. First results from a visual attention EEG experiment exhibit (1) sources of spatio-temporal dynamics in the data, (2) links to subject behavior, (3) sources with a limited spectral extent, and (4) a higher degree of independence compared to sources derived by standard ICA.Comment: 21 pages, 11 figures. Added final journal reference, fixed minor typo

Adaptive signal processing algorithms for noncircular complex data

The complex domain provides a natural processing framework for a large class of signals encountered in communications, radar, biomedical engineering and renewable energy. Statistical signal processing in C has traditionally been viewed as a straightforward extension of the corresponding algorithms in the real domain R, however, recent developments in augmented complex statistics show that, in general, this leads to under-modelling. This direct treatment of complex-valued signals has led to advances in so called widely linear modelling and the introduction of a generalised framework for the differentiability of both analytic and non-analytic complex and quaternion functions. In this thesis, supervised and blind complex adaptive algorithms capable of processing the generality of complex and quaternion signals (both circular and noncircular) in both noise-free and noisy environments are developed; their usefulness in real-world applications is demonstrated through case studies. The focus of this thesis is on the use of augmented statistics and widely linear modelling. The standard complex least mean square (CLMS) algorithm is extended to perform optimally for the generality of complex-valued signals, and is shown to outperform the CLMS algorithm. Next, extraction of latent complex-valued signals from large mixtures is addressed. This is achieved by developing several classes of complex blind source extraction algorithms based on fundamental signal properties such as smoothness, predictability and degree of Gaussianity, with the analysis of the existence and uniqueness of the solutions also provided. These algorithms are shown to facilitate real-time applications, such as those in brain computer interfacing (BCI). Due to their modified cost functions and the widely linear mixing model, this class of algorithms perform well in both noise-free and noisy environments. Next, based on a widely linear quaternion model, the FastICA algorithm is extended to the quaternion domain to provide separation of the generality of quaternion signals. The enhanced performances of the widely linear algorithms are illustrated in renewable energy and biomedical applications, in particular, for the prediction of wind profiles and extraction of artifacts from EEG recordings

Novel Complex Adaptive Signal Processing Techniques Employing Optimally Derived Time-varying Convergence Factors With Applicatio

In digital signal processing in general, and wireless communications in particular, the increased usage of complex signal representations, and spectrally efficient complex modulation schemes such as QPSK and QAM has necessitated the need for efficient and fast-converging complex digital signal processing techniques. In this research, novel complex adaptive digital signal processing techniques are presented, which derive optimal convergence factors or step sizes for adjusting the adaptive system coefficients at each iteration. In addition, the real and imaginary components of the complex signal and complex adaptive filter coefficients are treated as separate entities, and are independently updated. As a result, the developed methods efficiently utilize the degrees of freedom of the adaptive system, thereby exhibiting improved convergence characteristics, even in dynamic environments. In wireless communications, acceptable co-channel, adjacent channel, and image interference rejection is often one of the most critical requirements for a receiver. In this regard, the fixed-point complex Independent Component Analysis (ICA) algorithm, called Complex FastICA, has been previously applied to realize digital blind interference suppression in stationary or slow fading environments. However, under dynamic flat fading channel conditions frequently encountered in practice, the performance of the Complex FastICA is significantly degraded. In this dissertation, novel complex block adaptive ICA algorithms employing optimal convergence factors are presented, which exhibit superior convergence speed and accuracy in time-varying flat fading channels, as compared to the Complex FastICA algorithm. The proposed algorithms are called Complex IA-ICA, Complex OBA-ICA, and Complex CBC-ICA. For adaptive filtering applications, the Complex Least Mean Square algorithm (Complex LMS) has been widely used in both block and sequential form, due to its computational simplicity. However, the main drawback of the Complex LMS algorithm is its slow convergence and dependence on the choice of the convergence factor. In this research, novel block and sequential based algorithms for complex adaptive digital filtering are presented, which overcome the inherent limitations of the existing Complex LMS. The block adaptive algorithms are called Complex OBA-LMS and Complex OBAI-LMS, and their sequential versions are named Complex HA-LMS and Complex IA-LMS, respectively. The performance of the developed techniques is tested in various adaptive filtering applications, such as channel estimation, and adaptive beamforming. The combination of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) and the Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output (MIMO) technique is being increasingly employed for broadband wireless systems operating in frequency selective channels. However, MIMO-OFDM systems are extremely sensitive to Intercarrier Interference (ICI), caused by Carrier Frequency Offset (CFO) between local oscillators in the transmitter and the receiver. This results in crosstalk between the various OFDM subcarriers resulting in severe deterioration in performance. In order to mitigate this problem, the previously proposed Complex OBA-ICA algorithm is employed to recover user signals in the presence of ICI and channel induced mixing. The effectiveness of the Complex OBA-ICA method in performing ICI mitigation and signal separation is tested for various values of CFO, rate of channel variation, and Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR)

Hybrid solutions to instantaneous MIMO blind separation and decoding: narrowband, QAM and square cases

Future wireless communication systems are desired to support high data rates and high quality transmission when considering the growing multimedia applications. Increasing the channel throughput leads to the multiple input and multiple output and blind equalization techniques in recent years. Thereby blind MIMO equalization has attracted a great interest.Both system performance and computational complexities play important roles in real time communications. Reducing the computational load and providing accurate performances are the main challenges in present systems. In this thesis, a hybrid method which can provide an affordable complexity with good performance for Blind Equalization in large constellation MIMO systems is proposed first. Saving computational cost happens both in the signal sep- aration part and in signal detection part. First, based on Quadrature amplitude modulation signal characteristics, an efficient and simple nonlinear function for the Independent Compo- nent Analysis is introduced. Second, using the idea of the sphere decoding, we choose the soft information of channels in a sphere, and overcome the so- called curse of dimensionality of the Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm and enhance the final results simultaneously. Mathematically, we demonstrate in the digital communication cases, the EM algorithm shows Newton -like convergence.Despite the widespread use of forward -error coding (FEC), most multiple input multiple output (MIMO) blind channel estimation techniques ignore its presence, and instead make the sim- plifying assumption that the transmitted symbols are uncoded. However, FEC induces code structure in the transmitted sequence that can be exploited to improve blind MIMO channel estimates. In final part of this work, we exploit the iterative channel estimation and decoding performance for blind MIMO equalization. Experiments show the improvements achievable by exploiting the existence of coding structures and that it can access the performance of a BCJR equalizer with perfect channel information in a reasonable SNR range. All results are confirmed experimentally for the example of blind equalization in block fading MIMO systems

Flexible methods for blind separation of complex signals

One of the main matter in Blind Source Separation (BSS) performed with a neural network approach is the choice of the nonlinear activation function (AF). In fact if the shape of the activation function is chosen as the cumulative density function (c.d.f.) of the original source the problem is solved. For this scope in this thesis a flexible approach is introduced and the shape of the activation functions is changed during the learning process using the so-called “spline functions”. The problem is complicated in the case of separation of complex sources where there is the problem of the dichotomy between analyticity and boundedness of the complex activation functions. The problem is solved introducing the “splitting function” model as activation function. The “splitting function” is a couple of “spline function” which wind off the real and the imaginary part of the complex activation function, each of one depending from the real and imaginary variable. A more realistic model is the “generalized splitting function”, which is formed by a couple of two bi-dimensional functions (surfaces), one for the real and one for the imaginary part of the complex function, each depending by both the real and imaginary part of the complex variable. Unfortunately the linear environment is unrealistic in many practical applications. In this way there is the need of extending BSS problem in the nonlinear environment: in this case both the activation function than the nonlinear distorting function are realized by the “splitting function” made of “spline function”. The complex and instantaneous separation in linear and nonlinear environment allow us to perform a complex-valued extension of the well-known INFOMAX algorithm in several practical situations, such as convolutive mixtures, fMRI signal analysis and bandpass signal transmission. In addition advanced characteristics on the proposed approach are introduced and deeply described. First of all it is shows as splines are universal nonlinear functions for BSS problem: they are able to perform separation in anyway. Then it is analyzed as the “splitting solution” allows the algorithm to obtain a phase recovery: usually there is a phase ambiguity. Finally a Cramér-Rao lower bound for ICA is discussed. Several experimental results, tested by different objective indexes, show the effectiveness of the proposed approaches

Flexible methods for blind separation of complex signals

One of the main matter in Blind Source Separation (BSS) performed with a neural network approach is the choice of the nonlinear activation function (AF). In fact if the shape of the activation function is chosen as the cumulative density function (c.d.f.) of the original source the problem is solved. For this scope in this thesis a flexible approach is introduced and the shape of the activation functions is changed during the learning process using the so-called “spline functions”. The problem is complicated in the case of separation of complex sources where there is the problem of the dichotomy between analyticity and boundedness of the complex activation functions. The problem is solved introducing the “splitting function” model as activation function. The “splitting function” is a couple of “spline function” which wind off the real and the imaginary part of the complex activation function, each of one depending from the real and imaginary variable. A more realistic model is the “generalized splitting function”, which is formed by a couple of two bi-dimensional functions (surfaces), one for the real and one for the imaginary part of the complex function, each depending by both the real and imaginary part of the complex variable. Unfortunately the linear environment is unrealistic in many practical applications. In this way there is the need of extending BSS problem in the nonlinear environment: in this case both the activation function than the nonlinear distorting function are realized by the “splitting function” made of “spline function”. The complex and instantaneous separation in linear and nonlinear environment allow us to perform a complex-valued extension of the well-known INFOMAX algorithm in several practical situations, such as convolutive mixtures, fMRI signal analysis and bandpass signal transmission. In addition advanced characteristics on the proposed approach are introduced and deeply described. First of all it is shows as splines are universal nonlinear functions for BSS problem: they are able to perform separation in anyway. Then it is analyzed as the “splitting solution” allows the algorithm to obtain a phase recovery: usually there is a phase ambiguity. Finally a Cramér-Rao lower bound for ICA is discussed. Several experimental results, tested by different objective indexes, show the effectiveness of the proposed approaches

Kurtosis-Based Blind Source Extraction of Complex Non-Circular Signals with Application in EEG Artifact Removal in Real-Time

A new class of complex domain blind source extraction algorithms suitable for the extraction of both circular and non-circular complex signals is proposed. This is achieved through sequential extraction based on the degree of kurtosis and in the presence of non-circular measurement noise. The existence and uniqueness analysis of the solution is followed by a study of fast converging variants of the algorithm. The performance is first assessed through simulations on well understood benchmark signals, followed by a case study on real-time artifact removal from EEG signals, verified using both qualitative and quantitative metrics. The results illustrate the power of the proposed approach in real-time blind extraction of general complex-valued sources