The study of the spatial aspects of multipath in wireless communications environments is an increasingly important addition to the study of the temporal aspects in the search for ways to increase the utilization of the available wireless channel capacity. Traditionally, multipath has been viewed as an encumbrance in wireless communications, two of the major impairments being signal fading and intersymbol interference. However, recently the potential advantages of the diversity offered by multipath rich environments in multiuser communications have been recognised. Space time coding, for example, is a recent technique which relies on a rich scattering environment to create many practically uncorrelated signal transmission channels. Most often, statistical models have been used to describe the multipath environments in such applications. This approach has met with reasonable success but is limited when the statistical nature of a field is not easily determined or is not readily described by a known distribution.¶ Our primary aim in this thesis is to probe further into the nature of multipath environments in order to gain a greater understanding of their characteristics and diversity potential. We highlight the shortcomings of beamforming in a multipath multiuser access environment. We show that the ability of a beamformer to resolve two or more signals in angle directly limits its achievable capacity.¶ We test the probity of multipath as a source of spatial diversity, the limiting case of which is co-located users. We introduce the concept of separability to define the fundamental limits of a receiver to extract the signal of a desired user from interfering users’ signals and noise. We consider the separability performances of the minimum mean square error (MMSE), decorrelating (DEC) and matched filter (MF) detectors as we bring the positions of a desired and an interfering user closer together. We show that both the MMSE and DEC detectors are able to achieve acceptable levels of separability with the users as close as λ/10.¶ In seeking a better understanding of the nature of multipath fields themselves, we take two approaches. In the first we take a path oriented approach. The effects on the variation of the field power of the relative values of parameters such as amplitude and propagation direction are considered for a two path field. The results are applied to a theoretical analysis of the behaviour of linear detectors in multipath fields. This approach is insightful for fields with small numbers of multipaths, but quickly becomes mathematically complex.¶ In a more general approach, we take a field oriented view, seeking to quantify the complexity of arbitrary fields. We find that a multipath field has an intrinsic dimensionality of (πe)R/λ≈8.54R/λ, for a field in a two dimensional circular region, increasing only linearly with the radius R of the region. This result implies that there is no such thing as an arbitrarily complicated multipath field. That is, a field generated by any number of nearfield and farfield, specular and diffuse multipath reflections is no more complicated than a field generated by a limited number of plane waves. As such, there are limits on how rich multipath can be. This result has significant implications including means: i) to determine a parsimonious parameterization for arbitrary multipath fields and ii) of synthesizing arbitrary multipath fields with arbitrarily located nearfield or farfield, spatially discrete or continuous sources. The theoretical results are corroborated by examples of multipath field analysis and synthesis.

L'objectif des travaux réalisés dans le cadre de cette thèse est d'étudier l'association des techniques de transmission multi-antennes (MIMO) avec des schémas de réception itératifs dans un contexte de transmission sans fil haut débit.<br /><br />A largeur de bande et qualité de réception équivalentes, l'utilisation d'antennes multiples en communications numériques permet d'augmenter le débit utile de la transmission. Cependant sous l'hypothèse d'une non connaissance du canal à l'émission, les potentialités du canal MIMO ne sont généralement exploitées qu'au prix d'une réception très complexe, difficilement réalisable au sein d'un circuit intégré. <br /><br />Tout d'abord, afin de lutter contre la sélectivité fréquentielle et de simplifier le traitement en réception, nous choisissons d'associer la modulation multi-porteuses OFDM à des schémas de transmission MIMO. Par ailleurs, en étendant les résultats obtenus dans le domaine de la turbo-égalisation au contexte multi-antennes, nous étudions une technique de réception itérative adaptée au schéma de transmission MIMO-OFDM. L'utilisation de filtres linéaires optimisés au sens du critère Minimum Mean Square Error (MMSE) confère aux récepteurs une complexité raisonnable et conciliable avec les exigences d'implémentation.<br /><br />Les récepteurs proposés sont ensuite associés à des techniques complémentaires telles que le précodage linéaire ou le MC-CDMA. Il est démontré qu'en dimensionnant convenablement l'émission il est possible de tirer parti de toute la diversité du canal de propagation tout en exploitant de façon optimale sa capacité.<br /><br />Les performances de différents systèmes sont enfin évaluées sur différents canaux théoriques puis réalistes, en examinant notamment l'influence de la corrélation entre antennes et en intégrant la fonction d'estimation de canal. Dans ces différents contextes, la comparaison avec des systèmes conventionnels montre l'intérêt d'utiliser une réception itérative.

Nous considérons dans cette thèse le problème dotpimisation dun schéma de codage/décodage JPEG et le post-traitement de réduction des effets de blocs dans les images codées par JPEG.<br />Nous proposons tout dabord le filtrage de Wiener comme optimisation du banc de filtres de synthèse pour une distorsion minimale et nous cherchons par la suite une quantifcation optimisée. Lalgorithme itératif A1 réalise une optimisation conjointe des quantificateurs et du banc de filtres de synthèse. Les résultats experimentaux sur quelques images montrent que le gain total en terme de PSNR peut atteindre 1,36dB et les améliorations visuelles confirment ces résultats.<br />Enfin, nous proposons une nouvelle technique de réduction des effets de blocs basée sur la minimisation de lénergie haute fréquence du bruit de quantification. Lévaluation de lalgorithme B1montre une diminution des effets de blocs, et de nombreuses illustrations permettent dappréhender visuellement les performances de cette méthode.

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Future fifth generation (5G) cellular networks have to cope with the expected ten-fold increase in mobile data traffic between 2015 and 2021. To achieve this goal, new technologies are being considered, including massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems and millimeter-wave (mmWave) communications. Massive MIMO involves the use of large antenna array sizes at the base station, while mmWave communications employ frequencies between 30 and 300 GHz. In this thesis we study the impact of these technologies on the performance of channel estimators. Our results show that the characteristics of the propagation channel at mmWave frequencies improve the channel estimation performance in comparison with current, low frequency-based, cellular networks. Furthermore, we demonstrate the existence of an optimal angular spread of the multipath clusters, which can be used to maximize the capacity of mmWave networks. We also propose efficient noise variance estimators, which can be employed as an input to existing channel estimators.

We consider the problem of equalizing data blocks of signals, which have been transmitted over an aeronautical channel using two different modulation schemes. The equalization is performed using the block-processing constant modulus algorithm (CMA), and in order to achieve real-time processing a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) is used to compute the gradient of this cost function during equalization. The equalizer length is chosen to be five times of the channel length. For the first experiment, we present the result of equalizing a set of measured data, which was modulated and transmitted using the iNET packet structure with SOQPSK modulation. In this case, the CMA equalizer is first initialized using MMSE and the equalizer coefficients are then updated once, using each entire block (iNET packet). In the second experiment, we apply the FFT-based block processing equalizer to received data blocks of QPSK signals, which have been randomly generated and transmitted over an aeronautical channel. A modified constant modulus algorithm and alphabet matched algorithm (CMA + AMA) equalizer is used to recover these data blocks. For this case of QPSK signals, the equalizer performance is evaluated over 500 Monte Carlo runs, using the average symbol error rate (SER).

This thesis describes the application of adaptive equalization based on the constant modulus algorithm (CMA) and the decision-feedback minimum mean squared error (DF-MMSE) concept to the two compatible offset QPSK waveforms (FQPSK and SOQPSK-TG) that constitute the ARTM Tier-1 waveforms. An adaptive version of the DF-MMSE equalizer is developed and applied to this application. In the presence of frequency selective multipath interference typically encountered in aeronautical telemetry, both equalization techniques are shown to provide reliable performance for FQPSK and SOQPSK-TG. The performance of both waveforms with the DF-MMSE equalizer is slightly better than that using the CMA equalizer. Implementation trade-offs between the two types of equalizers are discussed.

Background: Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is seen as a state between normal aging and dementia, with patients having an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other sorts of dementia. MCI has been linked to a change in gut microbiota which impacts the microbiota-gut-brain axis (MGBA), consequently affecting neurological functions. A way of altering microbiota and thereby promoting cognitive health is through the administration of prebiotics, probiotics, and synbiotics. Aim: This systematic literature review aims to assess the impact of prebiotics, probiotics, and synbiotics on MCI by compiling existing data on the matter. Methods: Three databases - Web of Science, Cochrane, and PubMed - were searched and articles were included based on the following inclusion criteria: (1) randomized clinical trials (RCTs), (2) conducted on adults evaluated with MCI during the study, (3) including a prebiotic, probiotic, or synbiotic intervention of any kind, (4) comparing the intervention with a placebo or control group, (5) written in English, (6) reporting the main outcome of cognitive function using any neuropsychological evaluation test. Results: Five studies were included in the final selection. These studies showed that cognitive function improved after probiotic intervention, significantly affecting several cognitive domains: attention, calculation, orientation in time, and delayed memory. Two studies showed that subjects with low cognitive scores at baseline benefited more from probiotic supplementation compared to high-scoring subjects. Conclusions: Probiotics appear to improve cognition in MCI subjects; however, further research is needed to conclude the effects of prebiotics and synbiotics.

In this thesis, our focus is on low-complexity, high-performance detection algorithms for multi-antenna communication receivers. A key contribution in this thesis is the demonstration that efficient algorithms from metaheuristics and machine learning can be gainfully adapted for signal detection in multi- antenna communication receivers. We first investigate a popular metaheuristic known as the reactive tabu search (RTS), a combinatorial optimization technique, to decode the transmitted signals in large-dimensional communication systems. A basic version of the RTS algorithm is shown to achieve near-optimal performance for 4-QAM in large dimensions. We then propose a method to obtain a lower bound on the BER performance of the optimal detector. This lower bound is tight at moderate to high SNRs and is useful in situations where the performance of optimal detector is needed for comparison, but cannot be obtained due to very high computational complexity. To improve the performance of the basic RTS algorithm for higher-order modulations, we propose variants of the basic RTS algorithm using layering and multiple explorations. These variants are shown to achieve near-optimal performance in higher-order QAM as well. Next, we propose a new receiver called linear regression of minimum mean square error (MMSE) residual receiver (referred to as LRR receiver). The proposed LRR receiver improves the MMSE receiver by learning a linear regression model for the error of the MMSE receiver. The LRR receiver uses pilot data to estimate the channel, and then uses locally generated training data (not transmitted over the channel) to find the linear regression parameters. The LRR receiver is suitable for applications where the channel remains constant for a long period (slow-fading channels) and performs well. Finally, we propose a receiver that uses a committee of linear receivers, whose parameters are estimated from training data using a variant of the AdaBoost algorithm, a celebrated supervised classification algorithm in ma- chine learning. We call our receiver boosted MMSE (B-MMSE) receiver. We demonstrate that the performance and complexity of the proposed B-MMSE receiver are quite attractive for multi-antenna communication receivers.

<p>Delirium is common among old patients admitted to hospital, but is often a neglected problem in patient care. The principal aim of this thesis was to evaluate aspects of delirium in relation to incidence, risk factors, behavioural changes, cognitive function and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). A further aim was to describe patients’ experiences of being delirious. The study was prospective, descriptive and comparative, with repeated measures (six-month follow up). The sample consisted of 225 consecutive patients, aged 65 years or older, who were to be operated on due to hip fracture or hip replacement. Exclusion criteria were serious cognitive disorder or delirium on admission. Data were collected via frequent daily observations, cognitive functioning tests (MMSE), HRQOL questionnaires (SF-36) and interviews. Delirium was assessed according to the DSM-IV criteria. A total of 45/225 became delirious, with an incidence of 24.3% among patients undergoing hip fracture surgery and 11.7% among those with hip replacement surgery. A predictive model for delirium included four factors: impaired hearing, passivity, low cognitive functioning, and waiting more than 18h for hip fracture surgery. Disorientation and urgent calls for attention were the most frequent behavioural changes in the prodromal phase prior to delirium. Delirium in connection with hip fracture revealed deteriorated HRQOL and cognitive functioning when measured at a six-month follow-up. The experience of being delirious was described by the patients as a sudden change of reality. Such an experience gave rise to strong emotional feelings, as did recovery from delirium. Nurses’ observations of behavioural changes in old patients with impaired cognitive function may be the first step in managing and reducing delirium. The predictive model of delirium ought to be tested further before use in clinical practice.</p>