This paper deals with 2/sup l/-ary transmission using multilevel coding (MLC) and multistage decoding (MSD). The known result that MLC and MSD suffice to approach capacity if the rates at each level are appropriately chosen is reviewed. Using multiuser information theory, it is shown that there is a large space of rate combinations such that MLC and full maximum-likelihood decoding (MLD) can approach capacity. It is noted that multilevel codes designed according to the traditional balanced distance rule tend to fall in the latter category and, therefore, require the huge complexity of MLD. The capacity rule, the balanced distances rules, and two other rules based on the random coding exponent and cutoff rate are compared and contrasted for practical design. Simulation results using multilevel binary turbo codes show that capacity can in fact be closely approached at high bandwidth efficiencies. Moreover, topics relevant in practical applications such as signal set labeling, dimensionality of the constituent constellation, and hard-decision decoding are emphasized. Bit interleaved coded modulation, proposed by Caire et al. (see ibid., vol.44, p.927-46, 1998), is reviewed in the context of MLC. Finally, the combination of signal shaping and coding is discussed. Significant shaping gains are achievable in practice only if these design rules are taken into account.

/pdf/multilevel-codes-theoretical-concepts-and-practical-design-5ec1khobkg.pdf

Multilevel codes: theoretical concepts and practical design rules

The drive for higher performance in optical fiber systems has renewed interest in coherent detection. We review detection methods, including noncoherent, differentially coherent, and coherent detection, as well as a hybrid method. We compare modulation methods encoding information in various degrees of freedom (DOF). Polarization-multiplexed quadrature-amplitude modulation maximizes spectral efficiency and power efficiency, by utilizing all four available DOF, the two field quadratures in the two polarizations. Dual-polarization homodyne or heterodyne downconversion are linear processes that can fully recover the received signal field in these four DOF. When downconverted signals are sampled at the Nyquist rate, compensation of transmission impairments can be performed using digital signal processing (DSP). Linear impairments, including chromatic dispersion and polarization-mode dispersion, can be compensated quasi-exactly using finite impulse response filters. Some nonlinear impairments, such as intra-channel four-wave mixing and nonlinear phase noise, can be compensated partially. Carrier phase recovery can be performed using feedforward methods, even when phase-locked loops may fail due to delay constraints. DSP-based compensation enables a receiver to adapt to time-varying impairments, and facilitates use of advanced forward-error-correction codes. We discuss both single- and multi-carrier system implementations. For a given modulation format, using coherent detection, they offer fundamentally the same spectral efficiency and power efficiency, but may differ in practice, because of different impairments and implementation details. With anticipated advances in analog-to-digital converters and integrated circuit technology, DSP-based coherent receivers at bit rates up to 100 Gbit/s should become practical within the next few years.

/pdf/coherent-detection-in-optical-fiber-systems-26jfovi6pk.pdf

Coherent detection in optical fiber systems

In this expository paper, we survey some of the latest developments in using preconditioned conjugate gradient methods for solving Toeplitz systems. One of the main results is that the complexity of solving a large class of $n$-by-$n$ Toeplitz systems is reduced to $O(n \log n)$ operations as compared to $O(n \log ^2 n)$ operations required by fast direct Toeplitz solvers. Different preconditioners proposed for Toeplitz systems are reviewed. Applications to Toeplitz-related systems arising from partial differential equations, queueing networks, signal and image processing, integral equations, and time series analysis are given.

/pdf/conjugate-gradient-methods-for-toeplitz-systems-44re7adc4m.pdf

Conjugate Gradient Methods for Toeplitz Systems

Finite Mixture Distributions

Physical layer security (PHY-security) takes the advantages of channel randomness nature of transmission media to achieve communication confidentiality and authentication. Wiretap coding and signal processing technologies are expected to play vital roles in this new security mechanism. PHY-security has attracted a lot of attention due to its unique features and the fact that our daily life relies heavily on wireless communications for sensitive and private information transmissions. Compared to conventional cryptography that works to ensure all involved entities to load proper and authenticated cryptographic information, PHY-security technologies perform security functions without considering about how those security protocols are executed. In other words, it does not require to implement any extra security schemes or algorithms on other layers above the physical layer. This survey introduces the fundamental theories of PHY-security, covering confidentiality and authentication, and provides an overview on the state-of-the-art works on PHY-security technologies that can provide secure communications in wireless systems, along with the discussions on challenges and their proposed solutions. Furthermore, at the end of this paper, the open issues are identified as our future research directions.

Physical Layer Security for Next Generation Wireless Networks: Theories, Technologies, and Challenges

We address the impact of a too short cyclic prefix on multicarrier systems such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and discrete multitone (DMT). The main result is that the intersymbol interference (ISI) and intercarrier interference (ICI) may be spectrally concentrated and analytical expressions showing this are given. A practical implication is, e.g., that the cyclic prefix in some xDSL systems can be surprisingly short, as shown in one example of ADSL transmission.

The cyclic prefix of OFDM/DMT - an analysis

This paper proposes a suitable method for simulating impulses with appropriate amplitude, spectral, and inter-arrival characteristics. The statistics used to develop the parameters of this model are based on statistics derived from observations of impulse noise on the telephone networks of British Telecom (BT) and Deutsche Telekom (DT). This paper initially reviews the former DT approach to impulse noise generation for testing digital subscriber line systems, so called xDSL systems. Some problems are highlighted and an alternative technique is suggested that is capable of generating impulses with both appropriate amplitude an spectral characteristics.

Impulse generation with appropriate amplitude, length, inter-arrival, and spectral characteristics

A bound for the possible reduction of the peak-to-average ratio (PAR) dependent on the rate as well as possible practical procedures are presented. The idea of trellis shaping, originally used to minimize average transmit power in single-carrier systems, is applied to the problem of PAR reduction in multicarrier transmission. Its impact, as a function of code rate, as well as design practicability is considered using metrics in both the time and frequency domains.

Another application for trellis shaping: PAR reduction for DMT (OFDM)

An adaptation algorithm for determining the time-domain equalizer coefficients is described that maximizes the total channel capacity for all carriers of a multitone (discrete multitone) transmission. It takes into account the crosstalk noise environment and the interblock interference as a common disturbance. Furthermore, the leakage effect of the discrete Fourier transform (fast Fourier transform) is considered, too. Including this into the algorithm for the equalizer coefficients leads to a notable improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio, especially at lower frequencies for a typical asymmetrical digital subscriber line application.

Maximizing the channel capacity of multicarrier transmission by suitable adaptation of the time-domain equalizer

Identification of essential genes is not only useful for our understanding of the minimal gene set required for cellular life but also aids the identification of novel drug targets in pathogens. In this work, we present a simple and effective gene essentiality prediction method using information-theoretic features that are derived exclusively from the gene sequences. We developed a Random Forest classifier and performed an extensive model performance evaluation among and within 15 selected bacteria. In intra-organism predictions, where training and testing sets are taken from the same organism, AUC (Area Under the Curve) scores ranging from 0.73 to 0.90, 0.84 on average, were obtained. Cross-organism predictions using 5-fold cross-validation, pairwise, leave-one-species-out, leave-one-taxon-out, and cross-taxon yielded average AUC scores of 0.88, 0.75, 0.80, 0.82, and 0.78, respectively. To further show the applicability of our method in other domains of life, we predicted the essential genes of the yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe and obtained a similar accuracy (AUC 0.84). The proposed method enables a simple and reliable identification of essential genes without searching in databases for orthologs and demanding further experimental data such as network topology and gene-expression.

/pdf/sequence-based-information-theoretic-features-for-gene-1k57zv1d59.pdf

Werner Henkel

Papers

The cyclic prefix of OFDM/DMT - an analysis

Impulse generation with appropriate amplitude, length, inter-arrival, and spectral characteristics

Another application for trellis shaping: PAR reduction for DMT (OFDM)

Maximizing the channel capacity of multicarrier transmission by suitable adaptation of the time-domain equalizer

Sequence-based information-theoretic features for gene essentiality prediction