Khalid A. Qaraqe

A New Approach for Time Synchronization in Wireless Sensor Networks: Pairwise Broadcast Synchronization

This letter proposes an energy-efficient clock synchronization scheme for Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) based on a novel time synchronization approach. Within the proposed synchronization approach, a subset of sensor nodes are synchronized by overhearing the timing message exchanges of a pair of sensor nodes. Therefore, a group of sensor nodes can be synchronized without sending any extra messages. This paper brings two main contributions: 1. Development of a novel synchronization approach which can be partially or fully applied for implementation of new synchronization protocols and for improving the performance of existing time synchronization protocols. 2. Design of a time synchronization scheme which significantly reduces the overall network-wide energy consumption without incurring any loss of synchronization accuracy compared to other well-known schemes.

Outage Analysis for Underlay Cognitive Networks Using Incremental Regenerative Relaying

Cooperative relay technology has recently been introduced into cognitive radio (CR) networks to enhance the network capacity, scalability, and reliability of end-to-end communication. In this paper, we investigate an underlay cognitive network where the quality of service (QoS) of the secondary link is maintained by triggering an opportunistic regenerative relaying once it falls under an unacceptable level. Analysis is conducted for two schemes, referred to as the channel-state information (CSI)-based and fault-tolerant schemes, respectively, where different amounts of CSI were considered. We first provide the exact cumulative distribution function (cdf) of the received signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) over each hop with colocated relays. Then, the cdfs are used to determine a very accurate closed-form expression for the outage probability for a transmission rate R. In a high-SNR region, a floor of the secondary outage probability occurs, and we derive its corresponding expression. We validate our analysis by showing that the simulation results coincide with our analytical results in Rayleigh fading channels.

Performance Analysis of Dual-Hop AF Systems With Interference in Nakagami-

In this letter, we investigate the performance of dual-hop channel state information-assisted amplify-and-forward relaying systems over Nakagami-m fading channels in the presence of multiple interferers at the relay. Assuming integer fading parameter m, we derive closed-form expressions for the exact outage probability and accurate approximation for symbol error rate of the system. Furthermore, we look into the asymptotical high signal to noise ratio regime, and characterize the diversity order achieved by the system. All the analytical results are validated via Monte Carlo simulations.

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Efficient usage of energy in wireless networks represents a major concern in academia and industry, mainly because of environmental, financial, and quality-of-experience considerations. Various solutions have been proposed to enable efficient energy usage in wireless networks, and these approaches are referred to as green wireless communications and networking. In this survey, we mainly focus on energy-efficient techniques in base stations and mobile terminals as they constitute the major sources of energy consumption in wireless access networks, from the operator and user perspectives, respectively. Unlike the existing articles and surveys, we aim to present a unified treatment of green solutions and analytical models for both network operators and mobile users. Such a unified treatment will help in the future to develop green solutions that enable an improved and balanced efficient usage of energy by operators and end users.

Fading Channels

Heterogeneous small cell networks, or Het- SNets, are considered as a standard part of future mobile networks in which multiple lowpower low-cost user deployed base stations complement the existing macrocell infrastructure. This article proposes an energy-efficient deployment of the cells where the small cell base stations are arranged around the edge of the reference macrocell, and the deployment is referred to as cell-on-edge (COE) deployment. The proposed deployment ensures an increase in the network spectral and energy efficiency by facilitating cell edge mobile users with small cells. Moreover, COE deployment guarantees reduction of the carbon footprint of mobile operations by employing adaptive uplink power control. In order to calibrate the reduction in CO2 emissions, this article quantifies the ecological and associated economical impacts of energy savings in the proposed deployment. Simulation results quantify the improvements in CO2 emissions and spectral and energy gains of the proposed COE deployment compared to macro-only networks and typical small cell deployment strategies where small cells are randomly deployed within a given macrocell.

A Survey on Green Mobile Networking: From The Perspectives of Network Operators and Mobile Users

In this paper, we consider the performance of a two-way amplify-and-forward relaying network (AF TWRN) in the presence of unequal power co-channel interferers (CCI). Specifically, we first consider AF TWRN with an interference-limited relay and two noisy-nodes with channel estimation errors and CCI. We derive the approximate signal-to-interference plus noise ratio expressions and then use them to evaluate the outage probability, error probability, and achievable rate. Subsequently, to investigate the joint effects of the channel estimation error and CCI on the system performance, we extend our analysis to a multiple-relay network and derive several asymptotic performance expressions. For comparison purposes, we also provide the analysis for the relay selection scheme under the total power constraint at the relays. For AF TWRN with channel estimation error and CCI, numerical results show that the performance of the relay selection scheme is not always better than that of the all-relay participating case. In particular, the relay selection scheme can improve the system performance in the case of high power levels at the sources and small powers at the relays.

Green heterogeneous small-cell networks: toward reducing the CO 2 emissions of mobile communications industry using uplink power adaptation

In a communication system with multiple cooperative relays, selecting the best relay utilizes the available spectrum more efficiently. However, selective relaying poses a different problem in underlay cognitive networks compared to the traditional cooperative networks due to interference thresholds to the primary users. In most cases, a best relay is the one which provides the maximum end-to-end signal to noise ratio (SNR). This approach needs plenty of instantaneous channel state information (CSI). The CSI burden could be reduced by partial relay selection. In this paper, a partial relay selection scheme is presented and analyzed for an underlay cognitive network with fixed gain relays operating in the vicinity of a primary user. The system model is adopted in a way that each node needs minimal CSI to perform its task. The best relay is chosen on the basis of maximum source to relay link SNR which then forwards the message to the destination. We derive closed form expressions for the received SNR distributions, system outage, probability of bit error and average channel capacity of the system. The derived results are confirmed through simulations.

Performance Analysis of Amplify-and-Forward Two-Way Relaying with Co-Channel Interference and Channel Estimation Error

Opportunistic spectrum access feature of cognitive radio systems is a method to improve frequency underutilization of wireless spectrum. One of the techniques for detecting the unused bands is the energy detection for which selection of the threshold defines detection performance. In this paper, the adaptive threshold method is proposed as an alternative approach to estimate the threshold as a function of first and second order statistics of recorded signals. The proposed method does not require estimation of noise variance or signal to noise ratio and aims to minimize the effects of impairments introduced by wireless channel and non-stationary noise. The simulation results indicate that adaptive threshold has low false alarm and missed detection rates that can satisfy the detection requirements of multi-channel cognitive radios for either narrow or wideband spectrum sensing, when the standard deviation coefficient is selected properly.

Partial Relay Selection in Underlay Cognitive Networks with Fixed Gain Relays

We consider in this paper, a spectrum sharing cognitive radio system with a ratio selection scheme; where one out of N independent-and-identically-distributed transmit antennas is selected such that the ratio of the secondary transmitter (ST) to the secondary receiver (SR) channel gain to the interference from the ST to the primary receiver (PR) channel gain is maximized. Although previous works considered perfect, outdated, or partial channel state information at the transmitter, we stress that using such assumptions may lead to a feedback overhead for updating the SR with the ST-PR interference channel estimation. Considering only statistical knowledge of the ST-PR channel gain, we investigate a ratio selection scheme using a mean value (MV)-based power allocation strategy referred to as MV-based scheme. We first provide the exact statistics in terms of probability density function and cumulative distribution function of the secondary channel gain as well as of the interference channel gain. Furthermore, we derive exact cumulative density function of the received signal-to-noise ratio at the SR where the ST uses a power allocation based on instantaneous perfect channel state information (CSI) referred to as CSI-based scheme. These statistics are then used to derive exact closed form expressions of the outage probability, symbol error rate, and ergodic capacity of the secondary system when the interference channel from the primary transmitter (PT) to the SR is ignored. Furthermore, an asymptotical analysis is also carried out for the MV-based scheme as well as for the CSI-based scheme to derive the generalized diversity gain for each. Subsequently, we address the performance analysis based on exact statistics of the combined signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio at the SR of the more challenging case; when the PT-SR interference channel is considered. Numerical results in a Rayleigh fading environment manifest that the MV-based scheme outperforms the CSI-based scheme provided that a low interference power constraint is deployed, implying that the MV-based scheme is more suitable for practical systems.

An adaptive threshold method for spectrum sensing in multi-channel cognitive radio networks

Underlay cognitive networks should follow strict interference thresholds to operate in parallel with primary networks. This constraint limits their transmission power and eventually the area of coverage. Therefore, it is very likely that the underlay networks will make use of relays to transmit signals to the distant secondary users. In this paper, we propose a secondary relay selection scheme which maximizes the end-to-end signal to noise ratio (SNR) for the secondary link while keeping the interference levels to the primary network below a certain threshold. We derive closed form expressions for the probability density function (PDF) of the SNR at the secondary destination, average bit error probability and outage probability. Analytical results are verified through simulations which also give insight about the benefits and tradeoffs of the selective cooperation in underlay cognitive networks. It is shown that, in contrast to non-cognitive selective cooperation, this scheme performs better in low SNR region for cognitive networks.