Massive MIMO-based system analysis and comparison with MIMO based-systems

The thesis is focused on introducing basic MIMO-based and Massive MIMO-based systems and their possible benefits. Then going through the implementation options that we have, according to 3GPP standards, for 5G systems and how the transition is done from a non-standalone 5G RAN to a completely standalone 5G RAN. Having introduced the above-mentioned subjects and providing some definition of telecommunications principles, we move forward to a more technical analysis of the Capacity, Throughput, Power consumption, and Costs. Comparing all the mentioned parameters between a Massive-MIMO-based system and a MIMO-based system. In the analysis of power consumption and costs, we also introduce the concept of virtualization and its benefits in terms of both power and costs. Finally, we try to justify a trade-off between having a more reliable system with a high capacity and throughput while keeping the costs as low as possible.

Oxidative properties of the Iron - Thymine-1-acetic acid - Hydrogen peroxide catalytic system

The oxidation of alcohols and olefins is a pivotal reaction in organic synthesis. However, traditional oxidants are toxic and they often release a considerable amounts of by-products. Here, two IronIII-based systems are shown as oxidative catalyst, working in mild conditions with hydrogen peroxide as primary oxidant. An efficient catalytic system for the selective oxidation of several alcohols to their corresponding aldehydes and ketones was developed and characterized, [Fe(phen)2Cl2]NO3 (phen=1,10-Phenantroline). It was demonstrated that the adoption of a buffered aqueous solution is of crucial importance to ensure both considerable activity and selectivity.The Iron - Thymine-1-acetic acid in-situ complex was studied as catalyst in alcohol oxidations and C-H oxidative functionalization, involving hydrogen peroxide as primary oxidant in mild reaction conditions. The catalytic ability in alcohol oxidations was investigated by Density Functional Theory calculations, however the catalyst still has uncertain structure. The system shows satisfactory activity in alcohol oxidation and aliphatic rings functionalization. The Fe-THA system was studied in cyclohexene oxidation and oxidative halogenations. Halide salts such as NBu4X and NH4X were introduced in the catalytic system as halogens source to obtain cyclohexene derivatives such as halohydrins, important synthetic intermediates.The purpose of this dissertation is to contribute in testing new catalytic systems for alcohol oxidations and C-H functionalization. In particular, most of the efforts in this work focus on studying the Iron - Thymine-1-acetic acid (THA) systems as non-heme oxidative model, which present: •an iron metal centre(s) as a coordinative active site, •hydrogen peroxide as a primary oxidant, •THA as an eco-friendly, biocompatible, low cost coordinating ligand.

Progettazione e Implementazione di una piattaforma di Geofencing per il Context-Aware Advertising

La diffusione di smartphone e dispostivi mobili a cui si è assistito nell’ultima decade ha portato con sé lo sviluppo di nuovi sistemi e tecnologie basate sulla localizzazione. Questi sistemi vengono chiamati Location Based Systems (LBS) ed il loro successo è stato reso possibile dai sensori come GPS, antenna WiFi e accelerometro che hanno permesso agli sviluppatori di creare contenuti e servizi basati sulla posizione dell’utente. Una delle tecnologie su cui si basano i LBS è chiamata Geofencing e consiste nella creazione di aree virtuali (dette geofence) per delimitare luoghi di interesse (Point of Interests) e notificare l’utente quando entra, esce o si trova nelle vicinanze di una delle aree delimitate. Questa caratteristica viene utilizzata soprattutto per realizzare applicazioni che ricordano all’utente di svolgere delle azioni, per esempio un’app di promemoria che ricorda all’utente di comprare il latte quando si trova vicino ad un supermercato. Dal punto di vista economico, uno degli utilizzi piu` promettenti `e il co- siddetto Context Aware Advertising: i possessori di dispositivi mobili che si trovano a camminare nelle vicinanze di un negozio o un centro commer- ciale possono essere considerati possibili clienti e ricevere delle notifiche con pubblicit`a o questionari. Nel seguente lavoro verrà analizzato nel dettaglio cos’è il Geofencing, le sue applicazioni e le tecnologie sulla quale si basa. Verranno presi in considerazione alcuni problemi relativi all’utilizzo delle tecnologie di posizionamento, con particolare attenzione ai consumi di batteria. Verrà inoltre descritta la progettazione e l’implementazione di una piattaforma che permette ai possessori di attività commerciali di creare e gestire dei POI nonché di monitorare gli spostamenti dei possibili clienti. Dopo aver installato l’applicazione mobile sul proprio smartphone, i clienti potranno ricevere notifiche una volta oltrepassati i confini di un geofence.

Image Processing Algorithms applied to Radio SLAM using MIMO Radars

Radio Simultaneous Location and Mapping (SLAM) consists of the simultaneous tracking of the target and estimation of the surrounding environment, to build a map and estimate the target movements within it. It is an increasingly exploited technique for automotive applications, in order to improve the localization of obstacles and the target relative movement with respect to them, for emergency situations, for example when it is necessary to explore (with a drone or a robot) environments with a limited visibility, or for personal radar applications, thanks to its versatility and cheapness. Until today, these systems were based on light detection and ranging (lidar) or visual cameras, high-accuracy and expensive approaches that are limited to specific environments and weather conditions. Instead, in case of smoke, fog or simply darkness, radar-based systems can operate exactly in the same way. In this thesis activity, the Fourier-Mellin algorithm is analyzed and implemented, to verify the applicability to Radio SLAM, in which the radar frames can be treated as images and the radar motion between consecutive frames can be covered with registration. Furthermore, a simplified version of that algorithm is proposed, in order to solve the problems of the Fourier-Mellin algorithm when working with real radar images and improve the performance. The INRAS RBK2, a MIMO 2x16 mmWave radar, is used for experimental acquisitions, consisting of multiple tests performed in Lab-E of the Cesena Campus, University of Bologna. The different performances of Fourier-Mellin and its simplified version are compared also with the MatchScan algorithm, a classic algorithm for SLAM systems.

Design of alternative energy storage systems for hybrid vehicles based on statistical processing of driving cycles information

Hybrid vehicles represent the future for automakers, since they allow to improve the fuel economy and to reduce the pollutant emissions. A key component of the hybrid powertrain is the Energy Storage System, that determines the ability of the vehicle to store and reuse energy. Though electrified Energy Storage Systems (ESS), based on batteries and ultracapacitors, are a proven technology, Alternative Energy Storage Systems (AESS), based on mechanical, hydraulic and pneumatic devices, are gaining interest because they give the possibility of realizing low-cost mild-hybrid vehicles. Currently, most literature of design methodologies focuses on electric ESS, which are not suitable for AESS design. In this contest, The Ohio State University has developed an Alternative Energy Storage System design methodology. This work focuses on the development of driving cycle analysis methodology that is a key component of Alternative Energy Storage System design procedure. The proposed methodology is based on a statistical approach to analyzing driving schedules that represent the vehicle typical use. Driving data are broken up into power events sequence, namely traction and braking events, and for each of them, energy-related and dynamic metrics are calculated. By means of a clustering process and statistical synthesis methods, statistically-relevant metrics are determined. These metrics define cycle representative braking events. By using these events as inputs for the Alternative Energy Storage System design methodology, different system designs are obtained. Each of them is characterized by attributes, namely system volume and weight. In the last part the work, the designs are evaluated in simulation by introducing and calculating a metric related to the energy conversion efficiency. Finally, the designs are compared accounting for attributes and efficiency values. In order to automate the driving data extraction and synthesis process, a specific script Matlab based has been developed. Results show that the driving cycle analysis methodology, based on the statistical approach, allows to extract and synthesize cycle representative data. The designs based on cycle statistically-relevant metrics are properly sized and have satisfying efficiency values with respect to the expectations. An exception is the design based on the cycle worst-case scenario, corresponding to same approach adopted by the conventional electric ESS design methodologies. In this case, a heavy system with poor efficiency is produced. The proposed new methodology seems to be a valid and consistent support for Alternative Energy Storage System design.

Modelling and simulating in systems biology: an approach based on multi-agent systems

Systems Biology is an innovative way of doing biology recently raised in bio-informatics contexts, characterised by the study of biological systems as complex systems with a strong focus on the system level and on the interaction dimension. In other words, the objective is to understand biological systems as a whole, putting on the foreground not only the study of the individual parts as standalone parts, but also of their interaction and of the global properties that emerge at the system level by means of the interaction among the parts. This thesis focuses on the adoption of multi-agent systems (MAS) as a suitable paradigm for Systems Biology, for developing models and simulation of complex biological systems. Multi-agent system have been recently introduced in informatics context as a suitabe paradigm for modelling and engineering complex systems. Roughly speaking, a MAS can be conceived as a set of autonomous and interacting entities, called agents, situated in some kind of nvironment, where they fruitfully interact and coordinate so as to obtain a coherent global system behaviour. The claim of this work is that the general properties of MAS make them an effective approach for modelling and building simulations of complex biological systems, following the methodological principles identified by Systems Biology. In particular, the thesis focuses on cell populations as biological systems. In order to support the claim, the thesis introduces and describes (i) a MAS-based model conceived for modelling the dynamics of systems of cells interacting inside cell environment called niches. (ii) a computational tool, developed for implementing the models and executing the simulations. The tool is meant to work as a kind of virtual laboratory, on top of which kinds of virtual experiments can be performed, characterised by the definition and execution of specific models implemented as MASs, so as to support the validation, falsification and improvement of the models through the observation and analysis of the simulations. A hematopoietic stem cell system is taken as reference case study for formulating a specific model and executing virtual experiments.