Contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are but one of a variety of nanosystems that have incredible potential for the detection and diagnosis of cancer. Nanosystems share a common disadvantage: they are quickly sequestered by biological processes that clear foreign material from the body, requiring ever larger doses to accumulate in targets, and reducing their overall effectiveness and viability. This thesis explores a pair of strategies for nanomaterials to boost their evasiveness from these defensive systems in the context of lanthanide MRI contrast agents, in an attempt to increase their probability to collect in cancerous tissue. Chapter 1 provides precedent and rationale for the modification of two parameters regarding novel nanosystem design: aspect ratio and zeta potential. Chapter 2 details the controlled syntheses and analysis of sodium dysprosium fluoride nanomaterials at a range of aspect ratios. Chapter 3 concerns the construction of tunable zwitterionic polymer coatings for synthesized nanomaterials to demonstrate control over the zeta potential in aqueous dispersion. Chapter 4 tests polymer-coated spherical nanoparticles and nanorods for internalization into or adsorbance onto a cancerous cell line. Chapter 5 summarizes the work of the previous chapters and suggests future research approaches. Though internalization or adsorbance onto HeLa cells was not observed for prepared nanomaterials, control over their aspect ratio at the synthetic level and zeta potential via constructed zwitterionic polymers was demonstrated, with implications for application to a plethora of nanosystems. / Graduate

Computed Tomography (CT) is often used for building 3D biomechanical models of human anatomy. This method exposes the subject to a significant x-ray dose and provides limited soft-tissue contrast. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a potential alternative to CT for this application, as MRI offers significantly better soft-tissue contrast and does not expose the subject to ionizing radiation. However, MRI requires long scan times to achieve 3D images at sufficient resolution, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). These long scan times can make subject motion a problem. This thesis describes my work to reduce scan time while achieving sufficient resolution, SNR, and CNR for 3D biomechanical modeling of (1) the human larynx, and (2) the human hip. I focused on two important strategies for reducing scan time and improving SNR and CNR: the design of RF coils optimized to detect MRI signals from the anatomy of interest, and the determination of MRI relaxation properties of the tissues being imaged (allowing optimization of imaging parameters to improve CNR between tissues). Work on the larynx was done in collaboration with the Thomson group in Mechanical Engineering at BYU. To produce a high-resolution 3D image of the larynx, a 2-channel phased array was constructed. Eight different coil element designs were analyzed for use in the array, and one chosen that provided the highest Q-ratio while still meeting the mechanical constraints of the problem. The phased array was tested by imaging a pig larynx, a good substitute for the human larynx. Excellent image quality was achieved and MR relaxometry was then performed on tissues in the larynx. The work on the hip was done in collaboration with the Anderson group in orthopedics at the University of Utah, who are building models of femoral acetabular impingement (FAI). Accurate imaging of hip cartilage requires injection of fluid into the hip joint capsule while in traction. To optimize contrast, MR relaxometry measurements were performed on saline, isovue, and lidocaine solutions (all typically injected into the hip). Our analysis showed that these substances actually should not be used for MR imaging of the hip, and alternate strategies should be explored as a result.

Children with high-risk SHH/TP53-mut and Group 3 medulloblastoma (MB) have a 5-year overall survival of only 40%. Innovative approaches to enhance survival while preventing adverse effects are urgently needed. We investigated an innovative therapy approach combining irradia- tion (RT), decitabine (DEC), and abacavir (ABC) in a patient-derived orthotopic SHH/TP53-mut and Group 3 MB mouse model. MB-bearing mice were treated with DEC, ABC and RT. Mouse survival, tumor growth (BLI, MRT) tumor histology (H/E), proliferation (Ki-67), and endothelial (CD31) staining were analyzed. Gene expression was examined by microarray and RT-PCR (Ki-67, VEGF, CD31, CD15, CD133, nestin, CD68, IBA). The RT/DEC/ABC therapy inhibited tumor growth and enhanced mouse survival. Ki-67 decreased in SHH/TP53-mut MBs after RT, DEC, RT/ABC, and RT/DEC/ABC therapy. CD31 was higher in SHH/TP53-mut compared to Group 3 MBs and decreased after RT/DEC/ABC. Microarray analyses showed a therapy-induced downregulation of cell cycle genes. By RT-PCR, no therapy-induced effect on stem cell fraction or immune cell inva- sion/activation could be shown. We showed for the first time that RT/DEC/ABC therapy improves survival of orthotopic SHH/TP53-mut and Group 3 MB-bearing mice without inducing adverse effects suggesting the potential for an adjuvant application of this multimodal therapy approach in the human clinic.

No description available.

La presente tesis aborda la problemática de la convivencia entre las redes de la televisión digital terrestre y móvil de cuarta generación en la banda del primer dividendo digital (banda de 700 MHz), en Sudamérica. Además, se proponen dos potenciales casos de uso de compartición de espectro para el uso futuro de la banda de televisión después de los dividendos digitales, como modo de acceso eficiente y flexible para el uso del espectro radioeléctrico. Para garantizar la convivencia entre las tecnologías de televisión y móviles en la banda del primer dividendo digital en Sudamérica, se evalúa tanto el impacto de las redes móviles sobre las de televisión, así como el caso contrario, las redes de televisión sobre las móviles, teniendo en cuenta los parámetros técnicos de operación de cada una de las redes implicadas, los cuales son definidos por organismos de estandarización o parámetros reales de redes implementadas por cada país. Dentro de los parámetros técnicos de operación que se definieron para las redes podemos citar: márgenes de protección entre las señales de televisión y móviles; distancias de protección entre el transmisor interferente y el receptor víctima; banda de guarda requeridas entre las dos tecnologías; límites de emisiones interferentes fuera de banda; niveles de atenuación adicionales en las máscaras espectrales; evaluación de técnicas de mitigación de interferencias, entre otros. Es importe resaltar, que las principales diferencias entre los estudios de convivencia en Sudamérica respecto a Europa son: la banda de guarda en Sudamérica son 5 MHz mientras en Europa son 9 MHz; el ancho de banda de un canal de televisión en Sudamérica es 6 MHz respecto a 8 MHz en Europa; el estándar de televisión adoptados en casi toda Sudamérica es ISDB-Tb, a excepción de Colombia que adopto DVB-T2. Asimismo, en el ámbito de esta tesis, se proponen dos potenciales casos de estudio para el uso futuro de la banda de TV, promoviendo la compartición de espectro como un modo de acceso eficiente: El primer caso de estudio, propone un nuevo concepto de espacios en blanco llamado µ-TV-White-Space, los cuales son aquellas zonas geográficas en los interiores de una vivienda y/o oficina que no son cubiertas por el servicio de televisión digital terrestre, ya sea por la ausencia de cobertura o por obstáculos. El escenario propuesto es una red DVB-T2 ofreciendo cobertura en recepción fija sobre tejado, como servicio primario, y, femtoceldas LTE-A en interiores de un hogar u oficina, como servicio secundario. Los resultados obtenidos proporcionan restricciones técnicas para que las femtoceldas LTE-A puedan operar correctamente en espectro compartido con los servicios de televisión. Específicamente, se define la Potencia Isotrópica Radiada Equivalente (PIRE) máxima que podrían transmitir las femtoceldas, en función de la separación en frecuencia con los servicios de televisión. El segundo caso de estudio, propone el uso de los espacios en blanco para la compartición de espectro entre los servicios de internet de las cosas bajo el estándar NB-LTE-IoT, como servicio secundario, y servicios de televisión digital terrestre bajo el estándar DVB-T2, como servicio primario. Se define la máxima potencia transmisible por los nodos y dispositivos IoT sin interferir al servicio primario. Además, se evalúa el impacto del ciclo de trabajo de los dispositivos considerando que existirá diversidad de aplicaciones. La importancia de esta propuesta se fundamenta en dos contribuciones: por un lado, se optimiza el uso de la banda de televisión mediante el acceso secundario de dispositivos de baja potencia en los espacios en blanco, siempre garantizando los servicios de televisión, como servicio primario, por otro lado, se contribuye con nuevas frecuencias para las tecnologías móviles de última generación, con el objetivo de aumentar la capacidad de las redes que soportarán tanto / This thesis deals with the issue about coexistence between television and fourth generation mobile networks within the band of the first digital dividend (700 MHz band), in South America. Moreover, two potential cases of sharing spectrum for future use of the television band after the digital dividends are suggested as an efficient and flexible way for usage of the radio spectrum. In order to ensure the coexistence between the television and mobile technologies within the band of the first digital dividend in South America, the impact of the mobile networks as well as the opposite case are assessed. The technical operation parameters for each of the involved networks defined by standardizing organisms or real parameters from implemented networks in each country are considered. Among the technical parameters that were defined for the networks, we can mention: protection ratio between television and mobile signals; protection distances between the interfering transmitter and the victim receiver; required guard bands between both technologies; maximum power of the interfering out-of-band emissions in adjacent channels; additional attenuation levels in the spectrum emission mask in transmission and reception; assessing of interference mitigation techniques, among others. It is important to highlight that the main differences between the coexistence studies for South America and Europe are: the guard bands in South America are 5 MHz whereas in Europe are 9 MHz; bandwidth for a channel in South America is 6 MHz in contrast with the 8 MHz of Europe; the television standard adopted in almost all South America is ISDB-Tb, except Colombia and the French Guiana, which adopted DVB-T2. Additionally, within the scope of this thesis, two potential study cases for future usage of the TV band are proposed, promoting sharing spectrum as an efficient access way: The first study we go a step beyond coexistence, since the aim is to exploit the unused radio spectrum in those geographical zones that are not covered because the useful signal is obstructed by the environment or it has a limited coverage by the network design. Those areas can be called "micro-TVWS" (µ-TV-White-Space). The most representative cases of our definition of µ-TV-White-Space are those indoor environments in areas where DTT received power is below the required sensitivity because a TV channel is broadcasted to rooftop reception. The proposed scenario considers a DTT network offering fixed rooftop reception as a primary service, and a LTE-A femtocell giving coverage within the interior of a home or office as a secondary service. Our results provide the technical restrictions of the LTE-A Femtocell, mainly on the maximum allowable Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) that could transmit on the DTT band in terms of carrier separation, from co-channel to adjacent band. The second study case, suggests the use of white spaces for spectrum sharing among the Internet of Things (IoT) services, under the NB-LTE-IoT standard, as secondary service, and digital terrestrial television services under the DVB-T2 standard, as primary service. The maximum transmissible power by the nodes and IoT devices without interfering the primary service is defined. Besides, the impact of the duty cycle of the devices is assessed considering that there will be a great diversity of applications, and thus, a great diversity of operation requirements. The significance of this proposal is due to two contributions: on the aone hand, the usage of the television band is optimized through secondary access of low power devices within the white spaces, always ensuring television services as primary service. On the other hand, new frequencies for last generation mobile technologies are given, with the aim at increasing the network capacity, which will bear mobile services as well as IoT, regarding the high challenge of offering connectivity to millions of devices during the next decade. / La present tesi aborda la problemàtica de la convivència entres les xarxes de la televisió digital terrestre i mòbil de quarta generació en la banda del primer dividend digital (banda de 700 MHz), en Sud-Amèrica. A més, es proposen dos potencials casos d'ús compartit d'espectre per a l'ús futur de la banda de televisió després dels dividends digitals, com a mode d'accés eficient i flexible per a l'ús de l'espectre radioelèctric. Per tal de garantir la convivència entre les tecnologies de televisió i mòbils en la banda del primer dividend digital en Sud-Amèrica, s'avalua tant l'impacte de les xarxes mòbils sobre les de televisió, com el cas contrari, les xarxes de televisió sobre les mòbils, tenint en compte els paràmetres tècnics d'operació de cadascuna de les xarxes implicades, els quals són definits per organismes d'estandardització o paràmetres reals de xarxes implementades per cada país. Dins dels paràmetres tècnics d'operació que es van definir per a les xarxes podem citar: marges de protecció entre els senyals de televisió i mòbils; distàncies de protecció entre el transistor interferent i el receptor víctima; banda de guarda entre ambdós tecnologies; límits de les emissions interferents fora de banda; nivells d'atenuació addicionals en les màscares espectrals; avaluació de tècniques de mitigació d'interferències, entre d'altres. És important destacar, que les principals diferències entre els estudis de convivència en Sud-Amèrica respecte d'Europa són: la banda de guarda en Sud-Amèrica són 5 MHz mentre que a Europa són 9 MHz; l'amplària de banda d'un canal de televisió en Sud-Amèrica és de 6 MHz respecte dels 8 MHz a Europa; l'estàndard de televisió adoptat en quasi tota Sud-Amèrica és ISDB-Tb, excepte Colòmbia i la Guaiana Francesa que van adoptar DVB-T2. A Europa quasi tots els països tenen adoptats els estàndards DVB-T de primera i segona generació. Així mateix, en l'àmbit de la tesi, es proposen dos potencials casos d'estudi per a l'ús futur de la banda de TV, de manera que es promoga la compartició d'espectre com un mode d'accés eficient: El primer cas d'estudi, proposa un nou concepte d'espais en blanc anomenat µ-TV-White-Space, els quals són aquelles zones geogràfiques que no són cobertes pel servei de televisió digital terrestre, ja siga per l'absència de cobertura o per obstacles. L'escenari proposat és una xarxa DVB-T2 que ofereix cobertura en recepció fixa sobre terrat, com a servei primari, i femtocel·les LTE-A en interiors d'una llar o oficina, com a servei secundari. Els resultats obtinguts proporcionen restriccions tècniques per tal que les femtocel·les LTE-A puguen operar correctament en espectre compartit amb els serveis de televisió. Específicament, es defineix la Potència Isotròpica Radiada Equivalent (PIRE) màxima que podrien transmetre les femtocel·les, en funció de la separació en freqüència amb els serveis de televisió. El segon cas d'estudi, proposa l'ús d'espais en blanc per a la compartició d'espectre entre els serveis d'internet de les coses (Internet of Things o IOT, en anglès), sota l'estàndard NB-LTE-IoT, com a servei secundari, i serveis de televisió digital terrestre sota l'estàndard DVB-T2, com a servei primari. Es defineix la màxima potència transmissible pels nodes i dispositius IoT sense interferir al servei primari. A més, s'avalua l'impacte del cicle de treball dels dispositius considerant que existirà diversitat d'aplicacions, i, per tant, diversitat de requeriments d'operació. La importància d'aquesta proposta es fonamenta en dues contribucions: per una banda, s'optimitza l'ús de la banda de televisió mitjançant l'accés secundari de dispositius de baixa potència als espais en blanc, sempre garantint els serveis de televisió, com a servei primari. Per altra banda, es contribueix amb noves freqüències per a les tecnologies mòbils d'última generació, amb l'objectiu d'a / Martínez Pinzón, G. (2018). Compartición del Espectro Radioeléctrico entre Tecnologías Inalámbricas de Última Generación en la Banda de la Televisión Digital Terrestre [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/102644

Approximately 23% of Canadians over the age of 65 are considered frail, with that number predicted to increase up to 40% for the population over the age of 85. Frailty is a geriatric syndrome defined by the natural decline in muscle mass and function caused by the natural aging process. When developing to an excessive degree, frailty may present as a disease state, which is recognized as sarcopenia. The exact definition of sarcopenia relies on the presence of low muscle mass, strength, and/or function, but quantitative cut-off values are still a topic of debate. Understanding how biomarkers measured via diagnostic imaging such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) describe skeletal muscle can allow doctors to develop a profile of sarcopenia and define predictors to aide in preventative therapy. 4 male and 9 female (mean age = 78 ± 6.5 years) participants from a frailty study underwent full-body DXA and had their dominant thigh scanned using a 3.0T MRI. DXA-derived appendicular lean mass (ALM) and MRI-derived cross-sectional area (CSA), fat fraction (FF), T2 relaxation (T2), magnetization transfer ratio (MTR), fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) from 4 muscle groups at the mid-thigh were defined as muscle biomarkers. Pearson's correlation was calculated to identify relationships between biomarkers and a Wilcoxon rank-sum test was performed to assess the agreement of low-muscle mass characterization between ALM normalized by height (ALMI), ALM normalized by BMI (ALM/BMI), and the gold standard MRI cross-sectional area. Strong positive correlations between muscle quantity biomarkers such as ALMI and CSA were recognized within the quadriceps (p=0.0095), adductors (p=0.035), and sartorius (p=0.00065) muscles while muscle quality biomarkers such as FF and T2 showed significant positive correlation within the quadriceps (p=3.58*10^-5) and the hamstring (p=0.0042) muscles. Finally, ALM/BMI displayed a much stronger agreement in muscle mass quantification with the gold-standard of MRI-CSA over the more commonly researched ALMI from DXA. The main purpose of this study was to collate a vast array of skeletal muscle biomarkers obtained using DXA and MRI on a frail population, and show that significant correlations can be recognized from a single MRI-slice located at the mid-thigh. Additionally, this study recognized the potential of ALM/BMI as the DXA-derived biomarker of choice in muscle mass assessment of frailty. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc) / A person is diagnosed with sarcopenia when they present symptoms of low muscle mass, strength, and/or function. Defining these three criteria with objective measures has been long debated by researchers and clinicians alike. By understanding how different properties, or biomarkers, of skeletal muscle relate to one another and change as a person becomes more frail, we hope to better understand sarcopenia and identify the best measures to classify someone as sarcopenic. Being able to accurately diagnose someone as sarcopenic early allows for more effective treatment of this muscle disease. In this study, non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) were used to measure many different biomarkers of skeletal muscle at the mid-thigh. Through characterizing these measures of muscle quality and quantity between different imaging techniques this study aimed to recognize which imaging techniques, and more specifically biomarkers, can best distinguish between a person who is sarcopenic and one who is non-sarcopenic.

Understanding molecular and ion dynamics in soft materials used for fuel cell, battery, and drug delivery vehicle applications on multiple time and length scales provides critical information for the development of next generation materials. In this dissertation, new insights into transport and kinetic processes such as diffusion coefficients, translational activation energies (Ea), and rate constants for molecular exchange, as well as how these processes depend on material chemistry and morphology are shown. This dissertation also aims to serve as a guide for material scientists wanting to expand their research capabilities via nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques. By employing variable temperature pulsed-field-gradient (PFG) NMR diffusometry, which can probe molecular transport over nm – μm length scales, I first explore transport and morphology on a series of ion-conducting materials: an organic ionic plastic crystal, a proton-exchange membrane, and a polymer-gel electrolyte. These studies show the dependencies of small molecule and ion transport on modulations to material parameters, including thermal or magnetic treatment, water content, and/or crosslink density. I discuss the fundamental significance of the length scale over which translational Ea reports on these systems (~ 1 nm) and the resulting implications for using the Arrhenius equation parameters to understand and rationally design new ion-conductors. Next, I describe how NMR spectroscopy can be utilized to investigate the effect of loading a small molecule into the core of a spherical block copolymer micelle (to mimic, e.g., drug loading) on the hydrodynamic radius (rH) and polymer chain dynamics. In particular, I present spin-lattice relaxation (T1) results that directly measure single chain exchange rate kexch between micelles and diffusion results that inform on the unimer exchange mechanism. These convenient NMR methods thus offer an economical alternative (or complement) to time-resolved small angle neutron scattering (TR-SANS). / Ph. D. / Lithium ion batteries, fuel cells, and drug-delivery vehicles each depend on a fundamental understanding of the interface between materials science and molecular dynamics. Optimization of such materials usually requires routine analysis through common polymer characterization techniques. The present dissertation highlights the usage of an uncommon analytical tool to the polymer science community, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR); and how it gives unprecedented access in gauging material performance when subjected to judicious multiscale analysis. Chemical specificity, non-destructiveness, and the ability to study dynamics on multi-time and length scales are only a few of the many advantages of NMR offers over other polymer characterization techniques. Chapters 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 investigate different classes of materials for their respective applications to better understand the aforementioned interface. These studies are intended to spark interest in new research areas while supplementing existing ones.

No description available.

This thesis deals with the cartilage imaging using magnetic resonance. At first, there is mentioned physical principle of the magnetic resonance phenomenon and the most commonly used excitation sequences, followed by the description of the 9.4 T MR imaging system Bruker BioSpec 94/30 USR, which was used for measurement in the practical part. The next part is dedicated to the composition of cartilages and describes the temporomandibular joint, due to its suitability as an object for cartilage imaging. The series of MR scans of temporomandibular joint were taken with different acquisition parameters and evaluated by program designed through the MATLAB software. The program can be used for viewing scanned images, evaluating their contrast and determining the T1 relaxation time of the tissues by creating T1 maps.

[EN] Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology in Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) networks has the potential to increase the spectral efficiency and improve network coverage to cope with the competition of limited spectrum use (e.g., assignment of digital dividend and spectrum demands of mobile broadband), the appearance of new high data rate services (e.g., ultra-high definition TV - UHDTV), and the ubiquity of the content (e.g., fixed, portable, and mobile). It is widely recognised that MIMO can provide multiple benefits such as additional receive power due to array gain, higher resilience against signal outages due to spatial diversity, and higher data rates due to the spatial multiplexing gain of the MIMO channel. These benefits can be achieved without additional transmit power nor additional bandwidth, but normally come at the expense of a higher system complexity at the transmitter and receiver ends. The final system performance gains due to the use of MIMO directly depend on physical characteristics of the propagation environment such as spatial correlation, antenna orientation, and/or power imbalances experienced at the transmit aerials. Additionally, due to complexity constraints and finite-precision arithmetic at the receivers, it is crucial for the overall system performance to carefully design specific signal processing algorithms. This dissertation focuses on transmit and received signal processing for DTT systems using MIMO-BICM (Bit-Interleaved Coded Modulation) without feedback channel to the transmitter from the receiver terminals. At the transmitter side, this thesis presents investigations on MIMO precoding in DTT systems to overcome system degradations due to different channel conditions. At the receiver side, the focus is given on design and evaluation of practical MIMO-BICM receivers based on quantized information and its impact in both the in-chip memory size and system performance. These investigations are carried within the standardization process of DVB-NGH (Digital Video Broadcasting - Next Generation Handheld) the handheld evolution of DVB-T2 (Terrestrial - Second Generation), and ATSC 3.0 (Advanced Television Systems Committee - Third Generation), which incorporate MIMO-BICM as key technology to overcome the Shannon limit of single antenna communications. Nonetheless, this dissertation employs a generic approach in the design, analysis and evaluations, hence, the results and ideas can be applied to other wireless broadcast communication systems using MIMO-BICM. / [ES] La tecnología de múltiples entradas y múltiples salidas (MIMO) en redes de Televisión Digital Terrestre (TDT) tiene el potencial de incrementar la eficiencia espectral y mejorar la cobertura de red para afrontar las demandas de uso del escaso espectro electromagnético (e.g., designación del dividendo digital y la demanda de espectro por parte de las redes de comunicaciones móviles), la aparición de nuevos contenidos de alta tasa de datos (e.g., ultra-high definition TV - UHDTV) y la ubicuidad del contenido (e.g., fijo, portable y móvil). Es ampliamente reconocido que MIMO puede proporcionar múltiples beneficios como: potencia recibida adicional gracias a las ganancias de array, mayor robustez contra desvanecimientos de la señal gracias a la diversidad espacial y mayores tasas de transmisión gracias a la ganancia por multiplexado del canal MIMO. Estos beneficios se pueden conseguir sin incrementar la potencia transmitida ni el ancho de banda, pero normalmente se obtienen a expensas de una mayor complejidad del sistema tanto en el transmisor como en el receptor. Las ganancias de rendimiento finales debido al uso de MIMO dependen directamente de las características físicas del entorno de propagación como: la correlación entre los canales espaciales, la orientación de las antenas y/o los desbalances de potencia sufridos en las antenas transmisoras. Adicionalmente, debido a restricciones en la complejidad y aritmética de precisión finita en los receptores, es fundamental para el rendimiento global del sistema un diseño cuidadoso de algoritmos específicos de procesado de señal. Esta tesis doctoral se centra en el procesado de señal, tanto en el transmisor como en el receptor, para sistemas TDT que implementan MIMO-BICM (Bit-Interleaved Coded Modulation) sin canal de retorno hacia el transmisor desde los receptores. En el transmisor esta tesis presenta investigaciones en precoding MIMO en sistemas TDT para superar las degradaciones del sistema debidas a diferentes condiciones del canal. En el receptor se presta especial atención al diseño y evaluación de receptores prácticos MIMO-BICM basados en información cuantificada y a su impacto tanto en la memoria del chip como en el rendimiento del sistema. Estas investigaciones se llevan a cabo en el contexto de estandarización de DVB-NGH (Digital Video Broadcasting - Next Generation Handheld), la evolución portátil de DVB-T2 (Second Generation Terrestrial), y ATSC 3.0 (Advanced Television Systems Commitee - Third Generation) que incorporan MIMO-BICM como clave tecnológica para superar el límite de Shannon para comunicaciones con una única antena. No obstante, esta tesis doctoral emplea un método genérico tanto para el diseño, análisis y evaluación, por lo que los resultados e ideas pueden ser aplicados a otros sistemas de comunicación inalámbricos que empleen MIMO-BICM. / [CA] La tecnologia de múltiples entrades i múltiples eixides (MIMO) en xarxes de Televisió Digital Terrestre (TDT) té el potencial d'incrementar l'eficiència espectral i millorar la cobertura de xarxa per a afrontar les demandes d'ús de l'escàs espectre electromagnètic (e.g., designació del dividend digital i la demanda d'espectre per part de les xarxes de comunicacions mòbils), l'aparició de nous continguts d'alta taxa de dades (e.g., ultra-high deffinition TV - UHDTV) i la ubiqüitat del contingut (e.g., fix, portàtil i mòbil). És àmpliament reconegut que MIMO pot proporcionar múltiples beneficis com: potència rebuda addicional gràcies als guanys de array, major robustesa contra esvaïments del senyal gràcies a la diversitat espacial i majors taxes de transmissió gràcies al guany per multiplexat del canal MIMO. Aquests beneficis es poden aconseguir sense incrementar la potència transmesa ni l'ample de banda, però normalment s'obtenen a costa d'una major complexitat del sistema tant en el transmissor com en el receptor. Els guanys de rendiment finals a causa de l'ús de MIMO depenen directament de les característiques físiques de l'entorn de propagació com: la correlació entre els canals espacials, l'orientació de les antenes, i/o els desequilibris de potència patits en les antenes transmissores. Addicionalment, a causa de restriccions en la complexitat i aritmètica de precisió finita en els receptors, és fonamental per al rendiment global del sistema un disseny acurat d'algorismes específics de processament de senyal. Aquesta tesi doctoral se centra en el processament de senyal tant en el transmissor com en el receptor per a sistemes TDT que implementen MIMO-BICM (Bit-Interleaved Coded Modulation) sense canal de tornada cap al transmissor des dels receptors. En el transmissor aquesta tesi presenta recerques en precoding MIMO en sistemes TDT per a superar les degradacions del sistema degudes a diferents condicions del canal. En el receptor es presta especial atenció al disseny i avaluació de receptors pràctics MIMO-BICM basats en informació quantificada i al seu impacte tant en la memòria del xip com en el rendiment del sistema. Aquestes recerques es duen a terme en el context d'estandardització de DVB-NGH (Digital Video Broadcasting - Next Generation Handheld), l'evolució portàtil de DVB-T2 (Second Generation Terrestrial), i ATSC 3.0 (Advanced Television Systems Commitee - Third Generation) que incorporen MIMO-BICM com a clau tecnològica per a superar el límit de Shannon per a comunicacions amb una única antena. No obstant açò, aquesta tesi doctoral empra un mètode genèric tant per al disseny, anàlisi i avaluació, per la qual cosa els resultats i idees poden ser aplicats a altres sistemes de comunicació sense fils que empren MIMO-BICM. / Vargas Paredero, DE. (2016). Transmit and Receive Signal Processing for MIMO Terrestrial Broadcast Systems [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/66081 / Premios Extraordinarios de tesis doctorales