Blind Decoding of Massive MIMO Uplink Systems Based on the Higher Order Cumulants

In a developing country like India, there is an exponential rise in population nutrition requirement. To meet up with both the ends, the agricultural techniques should be perfected for optimal yield and quality. Irrigation and soil property monitoring system using sensors can be automated and operated wirelessly to achieve optimal water supply control and surveillance. The objective of this paper, is to automate the whole wireless sensor network (WSN) system with a control over water pumps and dripper valves. The humidity, temperature and pH sensor’s percepts provide a feedback, to control the water content of the soil. The system has an low-cost and energy reliable ZigBee for sensor data transformation, high-range GPRS system for data storing and analysis, and the whole system is powered by Solar panels which makes it self-sustainable. Customizable options for different crop with different requirements make it a versatile WSN system for automated irrigation based water management.     

DEVS-IoT: performance evaluation of smart home devices network

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Advances in electronics and connectivity have enabled a wide range of applications that can harness data collection for better decision making and an improved...     

Optical and structural properties of aluminium nitride thin-films synthesized by DC-magnetron sputtering technique at different sputtering pressures

Microsystem Technologies - Aluminium nitride thin-films (AlN) were fabricated by a DC-magnetron sputtering technique at different background pressures while maintaining the same deposition...     

Robust blind channel estimation algorithm for linear STBC systems using fourth order cumulant matrices

A novel blind channel estimation algorithm, based on fourth-order cumulant matrices, is proposed and applied to linear Space–Time Block Coded (STBC) for Multiple Input Multiple Output systems. Contrary to subspace and Second-Order Statistics (SOS) methods, the presented approach estimates the channel matrix without any modification of the transmitter. It takes advantage of the statistical independence of the signals in front of the space–time encoding. In this paper, the presented algorithm estimates the channel matrix by minimizing a cost function based on the higher cumulant matrices after Zero-Forcing equalization to mitigate the computational complexity and improve the performance. We employ the proposed method to the STBC systems including Spatial Multiplexing, Orthogonal, quasi-Orthogonal and Non-Orthogonal STBC systems. Symbol error rate and Normalized Mean Square Error simulations of the proposed algorithm are shown for a different number of users, signal to noise ratios and different number of symbols per user in comparison with subspace and Second-Order Statistics (SOS) methods. The results show that the presented method performs well and outperforms other methods in estimating the channel matrix from the received data. Moreover, the proposed method presents high convergence speed in estimating the channel matrix.     

Whole-Cell MALDI-ToF MS Coupled with Untargeted Metabolomics Facilitates Investigations of Microbial Chemical Interactions

The emergence of drug-resistant pathogens necessitates the development of new countermeasures. In this regard, the introduction of probiotics to directly attack or competitively exclude pathogens presents a useful strategy. Application of this approach requires an understanding of how a probiotic and its target pathogen interact. A key means of probiotic-pathogen interaction involves the production of small molecules called natural products (NPs). Here, we report the use of whole-cell matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-ToF) mass spectrometry to characterize NP production by candidate probiotics (mouse airway microbiome isolates) when co-cultured with the respiratory pathogen Burkholderia. We found that a Bacillus velezensis strain inhibits growth of and elicits NP production by Burkholderia thailandensis. Dereplication of known NPs detected in the metabolome of this B. velezensis strain suggests that a previously unannotated bioactive compound is involved. Thus, we present the use of whole-cell MALDI as a broadly applicable method for screening the NP composition of microbial co-cultures; this can be combined with other -omics methods to characterize probiotic-pathogen and other microbe-microbe interactions.