Time of Arrival

The fractional Fourier transform (FRFT) is a potent tool to analyze the chirp signal. However, it fails in locating the fractional Fourier domain (FRFD)-frequency contents which is required in some applications. The short-time fractional Fourier transform (STFRFT) is proposed to solve this problem. It displays the time and FRFD-frequency information jointly in the short-time fractional Fourier domain (STFRFD). Two aspects of its performance are considered: the 2-D resolution and the STFRFD support. The time-FRFD-bandwidth product (TFBP) is defined to measure the resolvable area and the STFRFD support. The optimal STFRFT is obtained with the criteria that maximize the 2-D resolution and minimize the STFRFD support. Its inverse transform, properties and computational complexity are presented. Two applications are discussed: the estimations of the time-of-arrival (TOA) and pulsewidth (PW) of chirp signals, and the STFRFD filtering. Simulations verify the validity of the proposed algorithms.

Cardiac surgery (PCS) has a low error tolerance, is dependent upon sophisticated organisational structures and demands high levels of cognitive and technical performance. The aim of the study was to assess the role of intraoperative non-routine events (NREs) and team performance on paediatric cardiac surgery outcomes. The current paper focuses on improving methods for studying teamwork; a companion paper will report on the empirical results. The authors trained human factors observers to observe and code the NRE's and teamwork from time of arrival of the patient into the operating room (OR) to the patient handover in the intensive care unit. The observers underwent immersive training in which each observer attended 10 operations, learnt in detail about the technical procedures and clinical tasks and received practice in coding teamwork. Two observers were used interchangeably to observe OR teamwork. The authors instigated a rigorous training and assessment protocol, with indepen...

This paper investigates the impact of realistic antennas on joint anchor-less localization and indoor characterization based on Impulse Radio (IR) Ultra Wideband (UWB) communications. In this frame, the Maximum Averaged Likelihood (MAL) algorithm and its extended version are considered, both relying on a tree approach consisting in two stages. The first part of the process, which is common to both algorithms, exploits the cross-correlation between received and locally predicted paths. The second stage calculates the ...

Positioning algorithms and their implementation in mobile networks are being investigated in the literature due to their importance in location services. Nowadays, the need for superior accuracy has cast attention to hybrid positioning techniques. In this paper, we introduce a novel algorithm for the identification of NLOS propagation using both angle and time estimates, which leads to enhanced versions of the Time of Arrivals and Angle of Arrivals positioning methods. Furthermore, a novel GSM procedure for the implementation of the latter techniques is proposed. In contrast to specified network-based GSM solutions (U-TDOA), the proposed requires minimum modifications in the GSM Phase 2+ infrastructure and protocol stack, and therefore increases the upgrade flexibility and minimizes the implementation cost. The proposed GSM positioning procedure has been experimentally validated using a GSM emulator and the modified signalling messages given by a measurement tool of the emulator are exhibited. Finally, the enhanced cost functions are experimentally evaluated using several GSM-like, high-capacity simulation environments and the results have shown significant reduction of the location error compared to the conventional techniques.

The paper contains a proposal for an energy and time representation. We construct modes that correspond to fuzzy distributions around discrete values of energy or time. The modes form an orthogonal and complete set in the space of square integrable functions. Energy and time are self adjoint in the space spanned by the modes. The widths of the modes are

Methods of heat detection were compared in the Mid- Crest Area Cattle Evaluation Program (MACEP) heifer development program in the 1998-breeding season. A total of 189 heifers from thirteen consignors entered the program on November 10, 1997. These heifers were condition scored, hip height measured, weighed, disposition scored, booster vaccinated, and treated for parasites at the time of arrival. Determination