John M. O' Toole (University of Queensland), “Discrete Quadratic Time-frequency Distributions: Definition, Computation, and a Newborn Electroencephalogram Application”, Primary Advisor: Dr. Paul Colditz, Associated Advisors:  Dr. Mostefa Mesbah and Dr. Boualem Boashash (2009) This thesis presents practical contributions to the area of time--frequency signal processing.  Time--frequency distributions (TFDs), important signal processing methods for nonstationary signals, were originally defined in the continuous domain and were poorly understood in the discrete domain.  Addressing this and other implementation problems, the thesis proposes the following: 1) an improved discrete TFD definition; 2) a collection of computationally efficient algorithms for these discrete distributions; and, using this definition and algorithms, 3) a method to automatically detect seizures in newborns using electroencephalogram signals. This thesis was awarded the Dean’s Commendation. For details, click here or contact the author.