CIR-based Adaptive K-Best Sphere Decoder for DVB-T2

Abstract-Multi-antenna processing first appeared in Digital Video Broadcasting in the 2 nd generation terrestrial system DVB-T2 by defining an optional MISO processing based on modified version of Alamouti codes in frequency domain. Decoding methods recommended by the DVB-T2 is the linear methods ZF and MMSE. In this paper we propose to use a modified K-Best Sphere Decoder (SD), to enhance the system performance in a frequency selective time varying channel with some modification to target the reduction of the fixed K-Best SD complexity to be more suitable for hardware implementations over different platforms. The proposed modified K-Best SD that we name Adaptive K-Best SD (AKBSD) exploit the channel impulse response (CIR) to measure the channel selectivity as an indicator of the channel state.BER simulations show how the performance is enhanced when applying the AKBSD method rather than the linear methods defined by the DVB-T2 implementation guide with low extra added complexity

Noise uncertainty effect on multi-channel cognitive radio networks

Achieving high throughput is the most important goal of cognitive radio networks. The main process in cognitive radio is spectrum sensing that targets getting vacant channels. There are many sensing methods like matched filter, feature detection, interference temperature and energy detection which is employed in the proposed system; however, energy detection suffers from noise uncertainty. In this paper a study of throughput under noise fluctuation effect is introduced. The work in this paper proposes multi-channel system; the overall multi-channel throughput is studied under noise fluctuation effect. In addition, the proficiency of the network has been examined under different number of channels and sensing time with noise uncertainty

Symbiotic ambient backscatter IoT transmission over NOMA-enabled network

Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) and ambient backscatter communication (AmBC) play major roles to enhance spectrum efficiency in wireless communication systems. Besides, the AmBC provides good reinforcement for the current trend towards dispensing batteries for battery-free Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices. In this paper, we propose a symbiotic battery-free IoT system, that exploits the downlink transmission of a NOMA multiplexing enabled cellular network, to permit an IoT spectrum-efficient uplink communication. The IoT backscatter device (BD) performs a symbiotic radio (SR) relation with the cellular source to power its communication by intelligently reflecting the received power. We derive a closed-form expression of the ergodic capacity (EC) of the BD transmission and tight approximations of the ECs of the cellular source transmission, where all channels undergo Nakagami-m fading. Additionally, we validate the analytical results obtained using Monte-Carlo simulations. The influences of several system parameters such as power allocation factor, reflection coefficient, and channels' severity factors have been investigated. Finally, the performance of the proposed system is compared with a benchmark OMA-based system to highlight the achievable performance improvement

Performance analysis of dual-hop hybrid RF-UOWC NOMA systems

The hybrid combination between underwater optical wireless communication (UOWC) and radio frequency (RF) is a vital demand for enabling communication through the air-water boundary. On the other hand, non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) is a key technology for enhancing system performance in terms of spectral efficiency. In this paper, we propose a downlink NOMA-based dual-hop hybrid RF-UOWC with decode and forward (DF) relaying. The UOWC channels are characterized by exponential-generalized Gamma (EGG) fading, while the RF channel is characterized by Rayleigh fading. Exact closed-form expressions of outage probabilities and approximated closed-form expressions of ergodic capacities are derived, for each NOMA individual user and the overall system as well, under the practical assumption of imperfect successive interference cancellation (SIC). These expressions are then verified via Monte-Carlo simulation for various underwater scenarios. To gain more insight into the system performance, we analyzed the asymptotic outage probabilities and the diversity order. Moreover, we formulated and solved a power allocation optimization problem to obtain an outage-optimal performance. For the sake of comparison and to highlight the achievable gain, the system performance is compared against a benchmark orthogonal multiple access (OMA)-based system

Physicians' guideline adherence is associated with long-term heart failure mortality in outpatients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: the QUALIFY international registry

Background: Physicians' adherence to guideline-recommended therapy is associated with short-term clinical outcomes in heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). However, its impact on longer-term outcomes is poorly documented. Here, we present results from the 18-month follow-up of the QUALIFY registry. Methods and results: Data at 18 months were available for 6118 ambulatory HFrEF patients from this international prospective observational survey. Adherence was measured as a continuous variable, ranging from 0 to 1, and was assessed for five classes of recommended HF medications and dosages. Most deaths were cardiovascular (CV) (228/394) and HF-related (191/394) and the same was true for unplanned hospitalizations (1175 CV and 861 HF-related hospitalizations, out of a total of 1541). According to univariable analysis, CV and HF deaths were significantly associated with physician adherence to guidelines. In multivariable analysis, HF death was associated with adherence level [subdistribution hazard ratio (SHR) 0.93, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.87–0.99 per 0.1 unit adherence level increase; P = 0.034] as was composite of HF hospitalization or CV death (SHR 0.97, 95% CI 0.94–0.99 per 0.1 unit adherence level increase; P = 0.043), whereas unplanned all-cause, CV or HF hospitalizations were not (all-cause: SHR 0.99, 95% CI 0.9–1.02; CV: SHR 0.98, 95% CI 0.96–1.01; and HF: SHR 0.99, 95% CI 0.96–1.02 per 0.1 unit change in adherence score; P = 0.52, P = 0.2, and P = 0.4, respectively). Conclusion: These results suggest that physicians' adherence to guideline-recommended HF therapies is associated with improved outcomes in HFrEF. Practical strategies should be established to improve physicians' adherence to guidelines. © 2019 The Authors. European Journal of Heart Failure © 2019 European Society of Cardiolog