Precoding of correlated symbols for STBC systems design

© ICST Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering 2017. A problem with transmitting correlated symbols over multiple transmit channel paths is that there is no diversity gain achieved at the receiver. Precoding technique provides a smart approach to achieving diversity gains at the receiver even when correlated symbols are transmitted; by phase variation, amplitude variation or both provided by the precoder. The space-time block code (STBC) technique, for example, is well-known when transmitting the same symbols by making them appear as different symbols using conjugation. We observe that correlated symbols can be transmitted over multiple transmit channel paths over STBC scheme while still achieving diversity. The correlated symbols can be made to appear as different symbols by using precoders; this enables diversity and improves data rate. Combining the proposed with the equivalent channel matrix (EVCM) permits the proposed design to outperform the conventional precoding of uncorrelated symbols technique by 2 dB at all bit error ratio (BER) for 2 × 1 and 2 × 2 antenna configurations. This is useful in increasing data rates with better BER performance

Full-Diversity QO-STBC Technique for Large-Antenna MIMO Systems

YesThe need to achieve high data rates in modern telecommunication systems, such as 5G standard, motivates the study and development of large antenna and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems. This study introduces a large antenna-order design of MIMO quasi-orthogonal space-time block code (QO-STBC) system that achieves better signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and bit-error ratio (BER) performances than the conventional QO-STBCs with the potential for massive MIMO (mMIMO) configurations. Although some earlier MIMO standards were built on orthogonal space-time block codes (O-STBCs), which are limited to two transmit antennas and data rates, the need for higher data rates motivates the exploration of higher antenna configurations using different QO-STBC schemes. The standard QO-STBC offers a higher number of antennas than the O-STBC with the full spatial rate. Unfortunately, also, the standard QO-STBCs are not able to achieve full diversity due to self-interference within their detection matrices; this diminishes the BER performance of the QO-STBC scheme. The detection also involves nonlinear processing, which further complicates the system. To solve these problems, we propose a linear processing design technique (which eliminates the system complexity) for constructing interference-free QO-STBCs and that also achieves full diversity using Hadamard modal matrices with the potential for mMIMO design. Since the modal matrices that orthogonalize QO-STBC are not sparse, our proposal also supports O-STBCs with a well-behaved peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) and better BER. The results of the proposed QO-STBC outperform other full diversity techniques including Givens-rotation and the eigenvalue decomposition (EVD) techniques by 15 dB for both MIMO and multiple-input single-output (MISO) antenna configurations at 10−3 BER. The proposed interference-free QO-STBC is also implemented for 16×NR and 32×NR MIMO systems, where NR≤2. We demonstrate 8 x 16 and 32 transmit antenna-enabled MIMO systems with the potential for mMIMO design applications with attractive BER and PAPR performance characteristics

Leveraging Insights from Unique Artifacts for Creating Sustainable Products

Sustainablemanufacturingpursuestheachievementofeconomic,environmental, and societal benefits by promoting the long-term use of materials, products, and components within a circular economy. The analysis of one-of-a-kind classical products reveal some designs that exhibit a creative combination of parts from a variety of industrial sectors. For example, Italian designers behind some innovative artifacts have managed to integrate components from different sources into attractive and emotional-oriented objects that are revered to this day. The present work aims to combine 6R-based sustainable manufacturing with insights gained from some classical products of Italian design characterized by simplicity and decontextualization of common objects. This manuscript presents the design process for leveraging concepts embodied in some unique artifacts from the Italian design movement to inspire the realization of sustainable products. A commercial household item was redesigned to demonstrate the application of the approach by utilizing end-of-life items collected from municipal solid waste. The potential benefits of the triple bottom line approach associated with leveraging concepts, such as those from Italian design, to develop more sustainable products is also discussed

Examining appropriate diagnosis and treatment of malaria: availability and use of rapid diagnostic tests and artemisinin-based combination therapy in public and private health facilities in south east Nigeria

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) and Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) have been widely advocated by government and the international community as cost-effective tools for diagnosis and treatment of malaria. ACTs are now the first line treatment drug for malaria in Nigeria and RDTs have been introduced by the government to bridge the existing gaps in proper diagnosis. However, it is not known how readily available these RDTs and ACTs are in public and private health facilities and whether health workers are actually using them. Hence, this study investigated the levels of availability and use of RDTs and ACTs in these facilities.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study was undertaken in Enugu state, southeast Nigeria in March 2009. Data was collected from heads of 74 public and private health facilities on the availability and use of RDTs and ACTs. Also, the availability of RDTs and the types of ACTs that were available in the facilities were documented.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Only 31.1% of the health facilities used RDTs to diagnose malaria. The majority used the syndromic approach. However, 61.1% of healthcare providers were aware of RDTs. RDTs were available in 53.3% of the facilities. Public health facilities and health facilities in the urban areas were using RDTs more and these were mainly bought from pharmacy shops and supplied by NGOs. The main reasons given for non use are unreliability of RDTs, supply issues, costs, preference for other methods of diagnosis and providers' ignorance. ACTs were the drug of choice for most public health facilities and the drugs were readily available in these facilities.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Although many providers were knowledgeable about RDTs, not many facilities used it. ACTS were readily available and used in public but not private health facilities. However, the reported use of ACTs with limited proper diagnosis implies that there could be high incidence of inappropriate case management of malaria which can also increase the economic burden of illnesses. Government and donors should ensure constant availability of RDTs in both public and private facilities, so that every treatment with ACTs is accompanied with proper diagnosis.</p

New empiricisms in the Anthropocene: Thinking with speculative fiction about science and social inquiry

Interest in new empiricisms and transdisciplinary methods has led many social inquirers to engage with 20th-century post-classical physical science. Many of these projects have focused on alternative matter–mind mixtures and in/organic variation, concerned that past theories of sociality have dismissed the vibrancy and animacy of the nonhuman material world. This paper explores the power of speculative fiction to help us rethink empiricism in posthuman ecologies of the Anthropocene, in the midst of post-truth conditions and growing science denialism. We foreground speculative fiction as a way to open up scientific imaginaries, rethinking the relationship between nature, technics, and human “sense” making. We show how such texts offer alternative images of research methods for studying pluralist ecologies and new forms of worldly belonging

Post-construction environmental and social impact analysis (ESIA) of Por-Harcourt - Enugu Highway on local economy

The purpose of this study was to determine the post-construction impacts of Port-harcourt – Eungu highway in Southeastern Nigeria. The impact study focused on the Environmental and Social Impact Analysis (ESIA) because of the social and environmental impacts of road projects. The basic tool used in this analysis is factor analysis which results were used to carry out multiple regression analysis with the intent of developing analytical models. The results obtained from the developed analytical models were fortified with the quantitative data collected on the highway based on selected five key development parameters. The results obtained from the analysis indicated that the impacts of the highway to the economy of the area were most visible in the political advantage derived by the government and the people; new settlements that were developed and reduced travel time gained by the commuters. The Coefficient of Determination (R2) attributed the development on the corridors of the highway to about 57.60% of the general development. Keywords: Road Infrastructure; Impact Analysis; Economic Development; Nigeria. International Journal of Agriculture and Development Vol. 9 2007: pp. 108-11

Academic Research International RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION (RFID) BASED ATTENDANCE SYSTEM WITH AUTOMATIC DOOR UNIT

ABSTRACT Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is a technology that uses radio waves to transfer dat