A brief introduction to the fractional continuous-time linear systems is presented. It will be done without needing a deep study of the fractional derivatives. We will show that the computation of the impulse and step responses is very similar to the classic. The main difference lies in the substitution of the exponential by the Mittag-Leffler function. We will present also the main formulae defining the fractional derivatives.

Generalised fractional centred differences and derivatives are studied in this chapter. These generalise to real orders the existing ones valid for even and odd positive integer orders. For each one, suitable integral formulations are presented. The limit computation inside the integrals leads to generalisations of the Cauchy derivative. Their computations using a special path lead to the well known Riesz potentials. A study for coherence is done by applying the definitions to functions with Fourier transform. The existence of inverse Riesz potentials is also studied.

Based on two methods recently proposed - the Ranging Criterion (RC) and the Generators Ranging Criterion (GRC) - new (quasi-orthogonal) even BCH-derived sequences are generated which are very attractive for synchronous or quasi-synchronous Code Division Multiple-Access (CDMA) systems. Numerical results show that the new family of BCH-derived sequences can contain a higher number of quasi-orthogonal sequences with lower correlation values and higher processing gains (PGs) than the spreading sequences typically used in the third generation of mobile communications system, UMTS or in the recent large area synchronised CDMA (LAS-CDMA) technology. It is shown that the even BCH-derived sequences are easily generated by a linear shift register generator, allowing the construction of systems with receiver structures of low complexity as compared with those of quasi-synchronous systems using low correlation zone sequences, as for instance the LAS-CDMA system.

The time-varying microstructure of sleep EEG spindles may have clinical significance in dementia studies. In this work, the sleep spindle is modeled as an AM-FM signal and parameterized in terms of six parameters, three quantifying the instantaneous envelope (IE) and three quantifying the instantaneous frequency (IF) of the spindle model. The IE and IF waveforms of sleep spindles from patients with dementia and normal controls were estimated using the time-frequency technique of complex demodulation (CD). Sinusoidal curve-fitting using a matching pursuit (MP) approach was applied to the IE and IF waveforms for the estimation of the six model parameters. Specific differences were found in sleep spindle instantaneous frequency dynamics between spindles from dementia subjects and spindles from controls.

The modelling of fractional linear systems through ARMA models is addressed. To perform this study, a new recursive algorithm for impulse response ARMA modelling is presented. This is a general algorithm that allows the recursive construction of ARMA models from the impulse response sequence. This algorithm does not need an exact order specification, as it gives some insights into the correct orders. It is applied to modelling fractional linear systems described by fractional powers of the backward difference and the bilinear transformations. The analysis of the results leads to propose suitable models for those systems.

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Generalised fractional centred differences and derivatives are studied in this Chapter. These generalise to real orders the existing ones valid for even and odd positive integer orders. For each one, suitable integral formulations are presented. The limit computation inside the integrals leads to generalisations of the Cauchy derivative. Their computations using a special path lead to the well known Riesz potentials. A study for coherence is done by applying the definitions to functions with Fourier transform. The existence of inverse Riesz potentials is also studied.

In this paper a new least-squares (LS) approach is used to model the discrete-time fractional differintegrator. This approach is based on a mismatch error between the required response and the one obtained by the difference equation defining the auto-regressive, moving-average (ARMA) model. In minimizing the error power we obtain a set of suitable normal equations that allow us to obtain the ARMA parameters. This new LS is then applied to the same examples as in ?R.S. Barbosa, J.A. Tenreiro Machado, I.M. Ferreira, Least-squares design of digital fractional-order operators, FDA'2004 First IFAC Workshop on Fractional Differentiation and Its Applications, Bordeaux, France, July 19-21, 2004, P. Ostalczyk, Fundamental properties of the fractional-order discrete-time integrator, Signal Processing 83 (2003) 2367-2376? so performance comparisons can be drawn. Simulation results show that both magnitude frequency responses are essentially identical. Concerning the modeling stability,both algorithms present similar limitations, although for different ARMA model orders.

Fractional centred differences and derivatives definitions are proposed, generalizing to real orders the existing ones valid for even and odd positive integer orders. For each one, suitable integral formulations are obtained. The computations of the involved integrals lead to new generalizations of the Cauchy integral derivative. To compute this integral, a special two-straight-line path was used. With this the referred integrals lead to the well-known Riesz potential operators and their inverses that emerge as true fractional centred derivatives, but that can be computed through summations similar to the well-known Grünwald-Letnikov derivatives.

The relation showing that the Grunwald-Letnikov and generalised Cauchy derivatives are equal is presented. This establishes a bridge between two different formulations and simultaneously between the classic integer order derivatives and the fractional ones. Starting from the generalised Cauchy derivative formula, new relations are obtained, namely a regularised version that makes the concept of pseudo-function appear naturally without the need for a rejection of any infinite part. From the regularised derivative, new formulations are deduced and specialised first for the real functions and afterwards for functions with Laplace transforms obtaining the definitions proposed by Lionville. With these tools suitable definitions of fractional linear systems are obtained.