Martina Cardone

University of Minnesota Twin Cities | UMN · Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Image search and retrieval tasks can perpetuate harmful stereotypes, erase cultural identities, and amplify social disparities. Current approaches to mitigate these representational harms balance the number of retrieved items across population groups defined by a small number of (often binary) attributes. However, most existing methods overlook int...

The interference from active to passive users is a well-recognized challenge in millimeter-wave (mmWave) communications. We propose a method that enables to limit the interference on passive users (whose presence may not be detected since they do not transmit) with a small penalty to the throughput of active users. Our approach abstracts away (in a...

Consider a pair of random vectors $( {\mathbf{X}}, {\mathbf{Y}}) $ and the conditional expectation operator $ \mathbb {E}[ {\mathbf{X}}| {\mathbf{Y}}={\mathbf{y}}]$ . This work studies analytical properties of the conditional expectation by characterizing various derivative identities. The paper consists of two parts. In the first part of the p...

The problem of distributed matrix-vector product is considered, where the server distributes the task of the computation among $n$ worker nodes, out of which $L$ are compromised (but non-colluding) and may return incorrect results. Specifically, it is assumed that the compromised workers are unreliable, that is, at any given time, each compromised...

This paper explores the Ziv-Zakai bound (ZZB), which is a well-known Bayesian lower bound on the Minimum Mean Squared Error (MMSE). First, it is shown that the ZZB holds without any assumption on the distribution of the estimand, that is, the estimand does not necessarily need to have a probability density function. The ZZB is then further analyzed...

This paper presents a novel design method based on machine learning (ML) for a spiral coil in a wireless power transfer (WPT) system operating at high frequencies. While a MHz frequency operation provides high power density for battery-powered applications, optimizing the spiral coil design becomes challenging due to the complex electromagnetic ana...

This paper studies the problem of data permutation recovery, where the goal is to estimate the ordering of an n -dimensional data vector given a noisy observation of it. The focus is on scenarios where the noise is additive Gaussian with an arbitrary known covariance matrix. The goal is to characterize the probability of error and its behavior wh...

This paper aims to develop resilient transmission mechanisms to suitably distribute traffic across multiple paths in an arbitrary millimeter-wave (mmWave) network. The main contributions include: (a) the development of proactive transmission mechanisms that build resilience against network disruptions in advance, while achieving a high end-to-end p...

This paper studies the minimum mean squared error (MMSE) of estimating $\mathbf{X} \in \mathbb{R}^d$ from the noisy observation $\mathbf{Y} \in \mathbb{R}^k$, under the assumption that the noise (i.e., $\mathbf{Y}|\mathbf{X}$) is a member of the exponential family. The paper provides a new lower bound on the MMSE. Towards this end, an alternative r...

It is well known that central order statistics exhibit a central limit behavior and converge to a Gaussian distribution as the sample size grows. This paper strengthens this known result by establishing an entropic version of the CLT that ensures a stronger mode of convergence using the relative entropy. In particular, an order $O(1/\sqrt{n})$ rate...

This paper considers a single-source single-destination half-duplex $n$ -relay network with arbitrary topology, where the source communicates with the destination through a direct link and with the help of $n$ half-duplex relays. The focus is on the linear deterministic approximation of the Gaussian noise network model. First, sufficient condit...

The Ziv-Zakai bound is a well-known lower bound on the minimum mean squared error. This letter analyzes the performance of this bound in the practically relevant high-noise regime for a broad family of observation models. The goal is to understand whether this bound is tight, and in which scenarios it should be used. It is shown that, while the Ziv...

It is well known that central order statistics exhibit a central limit behavior and converge to a Gaussian distribution as the sample size grows. This paper strengthens this known result by establishing an entropic version of the central limit theorem that ensures a stronger mode of convergence using the relative entropy. This upgrade in convergenc...

Consider a pair of random vectors $(\mathbf{X},\mathbf{Y}) $ and the conditional expectation operator $\mathbb{E}[\mathbf{X}|\mathbf{Y}=\mathbf{y}]$. This work studies analytic properties of the conditional expectation by characterizing various derivative identities. The paper consists of two parts. In the first part of the paper, a general derivat...

This paper considers a diamond network with $\N$ interconnected relays, namely a network where a source communicates with a destination by hopping information through $\N$ communicating/interconnected relays. Specifically, the main focus of the paper is on characterizing sufficient conditions under which the $\N+1$ states (out of the $2^{\N}$ possi...

This paper considers the problem of recovering the permutation of an n-dimensional random vector X observed in Gaussian noise. First, a general expression for the probability of error is derived when a linear decoder (i.e., linear estimator followed by a sorting operation) is used. The derived expression holds with minimal assumptions on the distri...

This paper considers Gaussian half-duplex diamond n-relay networks, where a source communicates with a destination by hopping information through one layer of n non-communicating relays that operate in half-duplex. The main focus consists of investigating the following question: What is the contribution of a single relay on the approximate capacity...

We consider the problem of finding the subset of order statistics that contains the most information about a sample of random variables drawn independently from some known parametric distribution. We leverage information-theoretic quantities, such as entropy and mutual information, to quantify the level of informativeness and rigorously characteriz...

This article considers a noisy data structure recovery problem. The goal is to investigate the following question: given a noisy observation of a permuted data set, according to which permutation was the original data sorted? The focus is on scenarios where data is generated according to an isotropic Gaussian distribution, and the noise is additive...

Consider a random sample $X_1 , X_2 , ..., X_n$ drawn independently and identically distributed from some known sampling distribution $P_X$. Let $X_{(1)} \le X_{(2)} \le ... \le X_{(n)}$ represent the order statistics of the sample. The first part of the paper focuses on distributions with an invertible cumulative distribution function. Under this...

This paper investigates the problem of characterizing the capacity of Half-Duplex (HD) line networks , where a source node communicates to a destination node through a multi-hop path of $N$ relays. If the relays operate in Full-Duplex (FD), it is well known that the capacity of the line network equals the minimum among the point-to-point link c...

This paper considers a noisy data structure recovery problem. The goal is to investigate the following question: Given a noisy data observation, according to which permutation was the original data sorted? The focus is on scenarios where data is generated according to an isotropic Gaussian distribution, and the perturbation consists of adding Gauss...

In this work, we study bounds on the capacity of full-duplex Gaussian 1-2-1 networks with imperfect beamforming. In particular, different from the ideal 1-2-1 network model introduced in [1], in this model beamforming patterns result in side-lobe leakage that cannot be perfectly suppressed. The 1-2-1 network model captures the directivity of mmWave...

This paper investigates the problem of secure communication in a wireline noiseless scenario where a source wishes to communicate to a number of destinations in the presence of a passive external adversary. Different from the multicast scenario, where all destinations are interested in receiving the same message, in this setting different destinati...

This paper considers Gaussian half-duplex diamond $n$-relay networks, where a source communicates with a destination by hopping information through one layer of $n$ non-communicating relays that operate in half-duplex. The main focus consists of investigating the following question: What is the contribution of a single relay on the approximate capa...

This letter considers an M-ary hypothesis testing problem on an n-dimensional random vector perturbed by the addition of Gaussian noise. A novel expression for the gradient of the error probability, with respect to the covariance matrix of the noise, is derived and shown to be a function of the cross-covariance matrix between the noise matrix (i.e....

In the traditional index coding problem, a server employs coding to send messages to a set of clients within the same broadcast domain. Each client already has some messages as side information and requests a particular unknown message from the server. All clients learn the coding matrix so that they can decode and retrieve their requested data. Ou...

This letter considers the task of estimating the norm of an $n$ -dimensional Gaussian random vector given a noisy/perturbed observation of it. In particular, the focus is on the case of additive Gaussian noise perturbation, which is assumed to be independent of the original vector. First, an expression for the optimal estimator is derived, and th...

This paper presents an estimation framework to assess the performance of the sorting function over data that is perturbed. In particular, the performance is measured in terms of the Minimum Mean Square Error (MMSE) between the values of the sorting function computed on the data without perturbation and the estimation that uses the sorting function...

This paper studies the problem of secure communication over two-layer networks, where a source is connected to a set of relays via direct edges. These relays are then connected to $m$ destinations, such that each destination has direct connections to a subset of relays. In multiple unicast traffic, the source wishes to transmit independent informat...

This paper investigates the problem of secure communication in a wireline noiseless scenario where a source wishes to communicate to a number of destinations in the presence of a passive external adversary. Different from the multicast scenario, where all destinations are interested in receiving the same message, in this setting different destinati...

This paper studies the 1-2-1 half-duplex network model, where two half-duplex nodes can communicate only if they point `beams' at each other; otherwise, no signal can be exchanged or interference can be generated. The main result of this paper is the design of two polynomial-time algorithms that: (i) compute the approximate capacity of the 1-2-1 ha...

In the traditional index coding problem, a server employs coding to send messages to $n$ clients within the same broadcast domain. Each client already has some messages as side information and requests a particular unknown message from the server. All clients learn the coding matrix so that they can decode and retrieve their requested data. Our sta...

Social groups open up the opportunity for a new form of caching. This paper investigates how a social group of users can jointly optimize bandwidth usage, by each caching network-coded parts of the data demand, and then opportunistically share these parts among themselves upon meeting. First, the problem is formulated as a Linear Program (LP) with...

It was recently observed in [1], that in index coding, learning the coding matrix used by the server can pose privacy concerns: curious clients can extract information about the requests and side information of other clients. One approach to mitigate such concerns is the use of $k$-limited-access schemes [1], that restrict each client to learn only...

In a companion paper available in [1], the authors examined the capacity of wireless networks that employ mmWave communication. An abstract model, referred to as Gaussian 1-2-1 network, was formulated, and min-cut bounds were derived along with achievable strategies. In this paper, the secure communication over Gaussian 1-2-1 networks is analyzed....

This paper proposes a new model for wireless relay networks referred to as "1-2-1 network", where two nodes can communicate only if they point "beams" at each other, while if they do not point beams at each other, no signal can be exchanged or interference can be generated. This model is motivated by millimeter wave communications where, due to the...

This paper considers multiple unicast wireline noiseless networks where a single source wishes to transmit independent messages to a set of legitimate destinations. The primal goal is to characterize the secure capacity region, where the exchanged messages have to be secured from a passive external eavesdropper that has unbounded computational capa...

Routing is a widespread approach to transfer information from a source node to a destination node in many deployed wireless ad-hoc networks. Today's implemented routing algorithms seek to efficiently find the path/route with the largest Full-Duplex (FD) capacity, which is given by the minimum among the point-to-point link capacities in the path. Su...

Index coding employs coding across clients within the same broadcast domain. This typically assumes that all clients learn the coding matrix so that they can decode and retrieve their requested data. However, learning the coding matrix can pose privacy concerns: it may enable clients to infer information about the requests and side information of o...

Using a broadcast channel to transmit clients' data requests may impose privacy risks. In this paper, we address such privacy concerns in the index coding framework. We show how a malicious client can infer some information about the requests and side information of other clients by learning the encoding matrix used by the server. We propose an inf...

The problem of operating a Gaussian Half-Duplex (HD) relay network optimally is challenging due to the exponential number of listen/transmit network states that need to be considered. Recent results have shown that, for the class of Gaussian HD networks with $N$ relays, there always exists a $simple$ schedule, i.e., with at most $N+1$ active states...

This article presents a practical feasibility study of a novel two-phase three-part-message strategy for half-duplex relaying, which features superposition coding and interferenceaware cancellation decoding. Aiming to analyze the performance of the proposed scheme in the non-asymptotic regime, this study evaluates the spectral efficiency with finit...

Given an $N$-relay Gaussian Half-Duplex (HD) diamond network, can we achieve a significant fraction of the capacity of the full network by operating only a subset of $k$ relays? This paper seeks to answer this question, which is also known as the {\it network simplification} problem. Building upon the recent result of Cardone et al., this work prov...

This paper considers a class of wireline networks, derived from the well-known butterfly network, over which two independent unicast sessions take place simultaneously. The main objectives are to understand when network coding type of operations are beneficial with and without security considerations and to derive the ultimate gains that cooperatio...

This paper investigates the problem of relay selection in Gaussian Half-Duplex (HD) diamond networks. The goal is to answer the following question: what is the minimum (worst-case) fraction of the total HD capacity that one can always achieve by smartly selecting a subset of only $k$ relays, out of the $N$ possible ones? We make progress on this pr...

This paper characterizes the secret message capacity of three networks where two unicast sessions share some of the communication resources. Each network consists of erasure channels with state feedback. A passive eavesdropper is assumed to wiretap any one of the links. The capacity achieving schemes as well as the outer bounds are formulated as li...

Social groups give the opportunity for a new form of caching. In this paper, we investigate how a social group of users can jointly optimize bandwidth usage, by each caching parts of the data demand, and then opportunistically share these parts among them upon meeting. We formulate this problem as a Linear Program (LP) with exponential complexity....

This paper presents a practical implementation of a novel three-message transmission strategy for the Gaussian half-duplex relay channel based on Turbo code superposition encoding and interference-aware successive interference cancellation. The impact of finite block-length and discrete input constellations on the Block Error Rate (BLER) performanc...

A uniform mobile user quality of service and a distributed use of the spectrum represent the key-ingredients for next generation cellular networks. Toward this end, physical layer cooperation among the network infrastructure and the wireless nodes has emerged as a potential technique. Cooperation leverages the broadcast nature of the wireless mediu...

This paper studies the two-user Causal Cognitive Interference Channel (CCIC), where two transmitters aim to communicate independent messages to two different receivers via a common channel. One source, referred to as the cognitive, is capable of overhearing the other source, referred to as the primary, through a noisy in-band link and thus can assi...