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Dynamic decode-and-forward (DDF) is a version of decode-and-forward relaying in which the duration of the listening phase at relays is not fixed. In this paper, we investigate half-duplex DDF relaying based on rateless codes. The use of rateless codes allows relays to autonomously switch from listening to the source node to transmitting to the destination node. We first revisit different signal combining strategies applied at the destination node, namely energy and information combining known from literature, and propose a new combining method which we refer to as mixed combining. The different combining methods give rise to different achievable rates, i.e., constrained channel capacities, for which we provide analytical expressions. The capacity analysis reveals the conditions under which mixed combining is superior and how it can be optimized. We then consider Raptor codes as a specific implementation of rateless codes and develop a density-evolution approximation to predict the data-rate performance of these codes in DDF relaying. Furthermore, we devise an optimization of the output symbol degree distribution of Raptor codes that is mainly used to benchmark the performance of Raptor codes with a fixed degree distribution. Numerical results for exemplary three-node and four-node relay networks show that the proposed mixed combining provides significant gains in achievable data rate and that Raptor codes with a fixed degree distribution are able to realize these gains and to approach closely the constrained-capacity limits. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Regulation in Europe and Japan requires the implementation of detect-and-avoid (DAA) techniques in some bands for the coexistence of licensed primary systems and secondary ultra wideband (UWB) systems. In a typical coexistence scenario, a primary system may have potentially interdependent uplink-downlink communication channels (e.g., simultaneous uplink-downlink communications in a frequency division duplex system) overlapping with the frequency band of a UWB system. If such interdependencies of primary systems' activities are known, the UWB system's ability to detect primary systems can be improved. In this study, we are interested in determining the possible gains in the detection performance when taking interdependencies into account for practically implementable detection methods. Contrary to selecting the detection thresholds individually for each band as in a conventional detection approach, the bands are jointly processed. To this end, maximum a posteriori (MAP) decision variables are generated at the receiver, and bias terms are introduced to achieve a desired trade-off between the probabilities of detection and false alarm. In addition to finding the optimal detection results based on the Neyman-Pearson (NP) test, a suboptimal but practically implementable approach is also considered, and the gain compared to conventional independent detection is quantified for various practical scenarios. The results obtained from this study can be used for improving the primary system detection performance of UWB systems, as well as for cognitive radios that perform spectrum sensing in multiple bands. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]