Cognitive Radio Systems: Performance Analysis and Optimal Resource Allocation

Rapid growth in the use of wireless services coupled with inefficient utilization of scarce spectrum resources has led to the analysis and development of cognitive radio systems. Cognitive radio systems provide dynamic and more efficient utilization of the available spectrum by allowing unlicensed users (i.e., cognitive or secondary users) to access the frequency bands allocated to the licensed users (i.e., primary users) without causing harmful interference to the primary user transmissions. The central goal of this thesis is to conduct a performance analysis and obtain throughput- and energy-efficient optimal resource allocation strategies for cognitive radio systems. Cognitive radio systems, which employ spectrum sensing mechanisms to learn the channel occupancy by primary users, generally operate under sensing uncertainty arising due to false alarms and miss-detections. This thesis analyzes the performance of cognitive radio systems in a practical setting with imperfect spectrum sensing. In the first part of the thesis, optimal power adaptation schemes that maximize the achievable rates of cognitive users with arbitrary input distributions in underlay cognitive radio systems subject to transmit and interference power constraints are studied. Simpler approximations of optimal power control policies in the low-power regime are determined. Low-complexity optimal power control algorithms are proposed. Next, energy efficiency is considered as the performance metric and power allocation strategies that maximize the energy efficiency of cognitive users in the presence of time-slotted primary users are identified. The impact of different levels of channel knowledge regarding the transmission link between the secondary transmitter and secondary receiver, and the interference link between the secondary transmitter and primary receiver on the optimal power allocation is addressed. In practice, the primary user may change its status during the transmission phase of the secondary users. In such cases, the assumption of time-slotted primary user transmission no longer holds. With this motivation, the spectral and energy efficiency in cognitive radio systems with unslotted primary users are analyzed and the optimal frame duration and energy-efficient optimal power control schemes subject to a collision constraint are jointly determined. The second line of research in this thesis focuses on symbol error rate performance of cognitive radio transmissions in the presence of imperfect sensing decisions. General formulations for the optimal decision rule and error probabilities for arbitrary modulation schemes are provided. The optimal decision rule for rectangular quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) is characterized, and closed-form expressions for the average symbol error probability attained with the optimal detector under both transmit power and interference constraints are derived. Furthermore, throughput of cognitive radio systems for both fixed-rate and variable-rate transmissions in the finite-blocklength regime is studied. The maximum constant arrival rates that the cognitive radio channel can support with finite blocklength codes while satisfying statistical quality of service (QoS) constraints imposed as limitations on the buffer violation probability are characterized. In the final part of the thesis, performance analysis in the presence of QoS requirements is extended to general wireless systems, and energy efficiency and throughput optimization with arbitrary input signaling are studied when statistical QoS constraints are imposed as limitations on the buffer violation probability. Effective capacity is chosen as the performance metric to characterize the maximum throughput subject to such buffer constraints by capturing the asymptotic decay-rate of buffer occupancy. Initially, constant-rate source is considered and subsequently random arrivals are taken into account

Spectral and Energy Efficiency in Cognitive Radio Systems with Unslotted Primary Users and Sensing Uncertainty

This paper studies energy efficiency (EE) and average throughput maximization for cognitive radio systems in the presence of unslotted primary users. It is assumed that primary user activity follows an ON-OFF alternating renewal process. Secondary users first sense the channel possibly with errors in the form of miss detections and false alarms, and then start the data transmission only if no primary user activity is detected. The secondary user transmission is subject to constraints on collision duration ratio, which is defined as the ratio of average collision duration to transmission duration. In this setting, the optimal power control policy which maximizes the EE of the secondary users or maximizes the average throughput while satisfying a minimum required EE under average/peak transmit power and average interference power constraints are derived. Subsequently, low-complexity algorithms for jointly determining the optimal power level and frame duration are proposed. The impact of probabilities of detection and false alarm, transmit and interference power constraints on the EE, average throughput of the secondary users, optimal transmission power, and the collisions with primary user transmissions are evaluated. In addition, some important properties of the collision duration ratio are investigated. The tradeoff between the EE and average throughput under imperfect sensing decisions and different primary user traffic are further analyzed.Comment: This paper is accepted for publication in IEEE Transactions on Communication

Error Rate Analysis of Cognitive Radio Transmissions with Imperfect Channel Sensing

This paper studies the symbol error rate performance of cognitive radio transmissions in the presence of imperfect sensing decisions. Two different transmission schemes, namely sensing-based spectrum sharing (SSS) and opportunistic spectrum access (OSA), are considered. In both schemes, secondary users first perform channel sensing, albeit with possible errors. In SSS, depending on the sensing decisions, they adapt the transmission power level and coexist with primary users in the channel. On the other hand, in OSA, secondary users are allowed to transmit only when the primary user activity is not detected. Initially, for both transmission schemes, general formulations for the optimal decision rule and error probabilities are provided for arbitrary modulation schemes under the assumptions that the receiver is equipped with the sensing decision and perfect knowledge of the channel fading, and the primary user's received faded signals at the secondary receiver has a Gaussian mixture distribution. Subsequently, the general approach is specialized to rectangular quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). More specifically, optimal decision rule is characterized for rectangular QAM, and closed-form expressions for the average symbol error probability attained with the optimal detector are derived under both transmit power and interference constraints. The effects of imperfect channel sensing decisions, interference from the primary user and its Gaussian mixture model, and the transmit power and interference constraints on the error rate performance of cognitive transmissions are analyzed

Prosthetic complications with mandibular bar-retained implant overdentures having distal attachments and metal frameworks: A 2- to 12-year retrospective analysis.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM Long-term reports on 2-implant-retained overdentures having metal frameworks and bars containing distal attachments are scarce. PURPOSE The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate prosthetic complications with 2-implant-retained mandibular overdentures with metal frameworks having either screw- or cement-retained cantilevered bars with distal attachments. MATERIAL AND METHODS Seventy-three edentulous study participants who had been treated with mandibular overdentures with 2 implants were included. The parameters assessed were acrylic resin fractures (base fracture, fracture at midline), debonding of teeth, opposing prosthesis fracture, need for relining or rebasing, abutment and bar screw loosening and fracture, ball or bar attachment or clip wear, fracture or detachment, bar fracture, and implant loss. Statistical analysis was performed by using the Mann-Whitney U test as the data were not normally distributed. The categorical variables between the groups were analyzed by using the Fisher exact test (α=.05). RESULTS Twenty-seven prostheses had a cement-retained bar, and 46 bars were screw-retained. Of 73 overdentures, 68 were metal-reinforced. The mean observation time was 5.9 years with a range between 2 and 12 years. The most common complication was wear of the Rhein 83 polymer attachment followed by bar screw loosening. The cumulative survival rate for overdentures was 91.9% at 6.8 years. The service life of cement-retained prostheses was significantly longer (P.05). CONCLUSIONS Based on the participant population observed, the survival rates of 2-implant-retained mandibular overdentures and their implants in the medium term were high. Wear of the polymer attachment was commonly seen. Overdentures with cement-retained bars had bar or acrylic resin fractures. Mandibular 2-implant-retained overdentures with a screw-retained bar containing bilateral distal attachments had fewer prosthetic complications and high implant survival in the medium term