Maximally Flexible Assignment of Orthogonal Variable Spreading Factor Codes for Multi-Rate Traffic

In universal terrestrial radio access (UTRA) systems, orthogonal variable spreading factor (OVSF) codes are used to support different transmission rates for different users. In this paper, we first define the flexibility index to measure the capability of an assignable code set in supporting multirate traffic classes. Based on this index, two single-code assignment schemes, nonrearrangeable and rearrangeable compact assignments, are proposed. Both schemes can offer maximal flexibility for the resulting code tree after each code assignment. We then present an analytical model and derive the call blocking probability, system throughput and fairness index. Analytical and simulation results show that the proposed schemes are efficient, stable and fair

Convex Relaxations for Permutation Problems

Seriation seeks to reconstruct a linear order between variables using unsorted, pairwise similarity information. It has direct applications in archeology and shotgun gene sequencing for example. We write seriation as an optimization problem by proving the equivalence between the seriation and combinatorial 2-SUM problems on similarity matrices (2-SUM is a quadratic minimization problem over permutations). The seriation problem can be solved exactly by a spectral algorithm in the noiseless case and we derive several convex relaxations for 2-SUM to improve the robustness of seriation solutions in noisy settings. These convex relaxations also allow us to impose structural constraints on the solution, hence solve semi-supervised seriation problems. We derive new approximation bounds for some of these relaxations and present numerical experiments on archeological data, Markov chains and DNA assembly from shotgun gene sequencing data.Comment: Final journal version, a few typos and references fixe

Distributed Community Detection in Dynamic Graphs

Inspired by the increasing interest in self-organizing social opportunistic networks, we investigate the problem of distributed detection of unknown communities in dynamic random graphs. As a formal framework, we consider the dynamic version of the well-studied \emph{Planted Bisection Model} \sdG(n,p,q) where the node set $[n]$ of the network is partitioned into two unknown communities and, at every time step, each possible edge $(u,v)$ is active with probability $p$ if both nodes belong to the same community, while it is active with probability $q$ (with $q<<p$) otherwise. We also consider a time-Markovian generalization of this model. We propose a distributed protocol based on the popular \emph{Label Propagation Algorithm} and prove that, when the ratio $p/q$ is larger than $n^{b}$ (for an arbitrarily small constant $b>0$), the protocol finds the right "planted" partition in $O(\log n)$ time even when the snapshots of the dynamic graph are sparse and disconnected (i.e. in the case $p=\Theta(1/n)$).Comment: Version I

MIMO-aided near-capacity turbo transceivers: taxonomy and performance versus complexity

In this treatise, we firstly review the associated Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) system theory and review the family of hard-decision and soft-decision based detection algorithms in the context of Spatial Division Multiplexing (SDM) systems. Our discussions culminate in the introduction of a range of powerful novel MIMO detectors, such as for example Markov Chain assisted Minimum Bit-Error Rate (MC-MBER) detectors, which are capable of reliably operating in the challenging high-importance rank-deficient scenarios, where there are more transmitters than receivers and hence the resultant channel-matrix becomes non-invertible. As a result, conventional detectors would exhibit a high residual error floor. We then invoke the Soft-Input Soft-Output (SISO) MIMO detectors for creating turbo-detected two- or three-stage concatenated SDM schemes and investigate their attainable performance in the light of their computational complexity. Finally, we introduce the powerful design tools of EXtrinsic Information Transfer (EXIT)-charts and characterize the achievable performance of the diverse near- capacity SISO detectors with the aid of EXIT charts

On Certain Large Random Hermitian Jacobi Matrices with Applications to Wireless Communications

In this paper we study the spectrum of certain large random Hermitian Jacobi matrices. These matrices are known to describe certain communication setups. In particular we are interested in an uplink cellular channel which models mobile users experiencing a soft-handoff situation under joint multicell decoding. Considering rather general fading statistics we provide a closed form expression for the per-cell sum-rate of this channel in high-SNR, when an intra-cell TDMA protocol is employed. Since the matrices of interest are tridiagonal, their eigenvectors can be considered as sequences with second order linear recurrence. Therefore, the problem is reduced to the study of the exponential growth of products of two by two matrices. For the case where $K$ users are simultaneously active in each cell, we obtain a series of lower and upper bound on the high-SNR power offset of the per-cell sum-rate, which are considerably tighter than previously known bounds

Markov chain Monte Carlo analyses of longitudinal biomedical magnetic resonance data

Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation was used in an analysis of the data acquired in three longitudinal biomedical magnetic resonance studies. The first of these investigations uses a Bayesian nonlinear hierarchical random coefficients model to examine the longitudinal extracellular direct current (DC) potential and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) responses to focal ischaemia in the rat. The purpose is to perform a formal analysis of the temporal relationship between the two responses, and thus to examine the data for compatibility with a common latent (driving) process and, alternatively, the existence of an ADC threshold for anoxic depolarisation. The DC-potential and ADC transition parameter posterior probability distributions were generated, paying particular attention to the within-subject differences between the DC-potential and ADC transition characteristics. The results indicate that the DC-potential and ADC changes are not driven by a common latent process and, in addition, provide no evidence for a consistent ADC threshold associated with anoxic depolarisation. The second analysis uses data acquired in a nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic study into the effects of intestinal ischaemia and subsequent reperfusion on liver metabolism in the rat. The purpose of the analysis is to examine the temporal relationship between energy status [inorganic phosphate to adenosine triphosphate ratio (PAR)] and the pH response, the former of which is an indicator of liver energy failure. The posterior distribution obtained for the PAR-pH onset time difference indicates that the pH response precedes the change in PAR, suggesting that intracellular acidosis cannot be ruled out as a contributing factor to the observed liver failure. The third dataset was acquired in an electron spin resonance study of the Arrhenius behaviour of the rabbit muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane. An MCMC Arrhenius plot changepoint analysis is used to estimate the order parameter 'transition' temperature