941 research outputs found
Reaction-controlled triple O-isotope exchange trajectories during experimental alteration of olivine
No full texthttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100008893 University of Iowahttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001711 SN
Melt topology and chemistry during partial melting in contact aureoles : an experimental study and field example
No full textThis study was initiated to investigate partial melting within the high-grade metamorphic rocks beneath the Little Cottonwood contact aureole (Utah, USA), in order to understand the melt generation, melt migration, and geometry of initial melt distribution on grain scale during crustal anatexis.
The emplacement of the Little Cottonwood stock produced a contact aureole in the pelitic host rocks of the Big Cottonwood formation (BC). Metamorphic isogrades in pelitic rocks range form biotite to 2nd sillimanite grade as a function of distance from the contact. Migmatites are restricted to the highest grade and resulted form partial melting of the BC formation rocks. First melt was produced by a combined muscovite/biotite dehydration reaction in the sillimanite + k-feldspar stability field. Melt extraction from the pelites resulted in restites (magnetite + cordierite + alumosilicate ± biotite) surrounded by feldspar enriched quartzite zones. This texture is the result of gradual infiltration of partial melts into the quartzite. Larger, discrete melt accumulation occurred in extensional or transpressional domains such as boudin necks, veins, and ductile shear zones. Melt composition are Si02- rich, crystallized as pegmatites, and apparently were very mobile. They were able to infiltrate the quartzite pervaisivly.
These melts are similar in composition to first melts produced in the hydrothermal partial melt experiments at 2kbar between 700 - 800°C on fine grained high metamorphic rocks (andalusite-cordierited-biotite-zone) of the BC formation. The experimental melts are water rich and in disequilibrium with the melting rock. Initial melt composition is heterogeneous for short run duration, reflective a lack of chemical equilibrium between individual melt pools. Rock core scale heterogeneity decreased with time indicating partial homogenization of melt compositions. A simultaneous shift of melt composition to higher silica content with time was observed. The silica content of the melt increased due to local melt/mineral reactions. Melt textures indicate that reactive melt transport is most efficient along grain boundaries rimmed by dissimilar grains. Melt heterogeneity resulted in chemical potential gradients which are major driving forces for initial melt migration and govern melt distribution during initial melting.
An additional subject of the thesis is the crystal size distributions of opaque minerals in a fine-grained, high-grade meta-pelite of the Big Cottonwood which were obtained from 3D X-ray tomography (uCT) and 2D thin section analysis. µCT delivers accurate size distributions within a restricted range (~ a factor of 20 in size in a single 3D image), while the absolute number of crystals is difficult to obtain from these sparsely distributed, small crystals on the basis of 2D images. Crystal size distributions obtained from both methods are otherwise similar.
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Ce travail de recherche a été entrepris dans le but d'étudier les processus de fusion partielle dans les roches fortement métamorphiques de l'auréole de contact de Little Cottonwood (Utah, USA) et ceci afin de comprendre la génération de liquide de fusion, la migration de ces liquides et la géométrie de la distribution initiale des liquides de fusion à l'échelle du grain durant l'anatexie de la croûte. L'emplacement du petit massif intrusif de Little Cottonwood a produit une auréole de contact dans les roches pélitiques encaissantes appartenant à la Foimation du Big Cottonwood (BC). Les isogrades métamorphiques dans les roches pélitiques varient de l'isograde de la biotite à la deuxième isograde de la sillimanite en fonction de la distance par rapport au massif intrusif. Les migmatites sont restreintes aux zones montrant le plus haut degré métamorphique et résultent de la fusion partielle des roches de la Formation de BC. Le premier liquide de fusion a été produit par la réaction de déshydratation combinée de la muscovite et de la biotite dans le champ de stabilité du feldspath potassique Pt de la sillimanite. L'extraction du liquide de fusion des pélites forme des restites (magnétites + cordiérite + aluminosilicate ± biotite) entourées par des zones de quartzites enrichies en feldspath. Cette texture est le résultat de l'infiltration graduelle du liquide de fusion partielle dans les quartzites. Des accumulations distinctes et plus larges de liquide de fusion ont lieu dans des domaines d'extension ou de transpression tels que les boudins, les veines, et les zones de cisaillement ductile. La composition des liquides de fusion est similaire à celle des liquides pegmatoïdes, et ces liquides sont apparemment très mobiles et capables d'infiltrer les quartzites.
Ces liquides de fusion ont la même composition que les premiers liquides produits dans les expériences hydrotheunales de fusion partielle à 2kbar et entre 700-800° C sur les roches finement grenues et hautement métamorphiques (andalousite-cordiérite-biotite zone) de la Formation de BC. Les liquides de fusion obtenus expérimentalement sont riches en eau et sont en déséquilibre avec la roche en fusion. La composition initiale des liquides de fusion est hétérogène pour les expériences de courte durée et reflète l'absence d'équilibre chimique entre les différentes zones d'accumulation des liquides de fusion. L'hétérogénéité à l'échelle du noyau s'estompe avec le temps et témoigne de l'homogénéisation de la composition des liquides de fusion. Par ailleurs, on observe parallèlement un décalage de la composition des liquides vers des compositions plus riches en silice au cours du temps. Le contenu en silice des liquides de fusion évolue vers un liquide pegmatitique en raison des réactions liquides/minéraux. Les textures des liquides de fusion indiquent que le transport des liquides est plus efficace le long des bordures de grains bordés par des grains différents. Aucun changement apparent du volume total n'est visible. L'hétérogénéité des liquides s'accompagne d'un gradient de potentiel chimique qui sert de moteur principal à la migration des liquides et à la distribution des liquides durant la fusion. Un sujet complémentaire de ce travail de thèse réside dans l'étude de la distribution de la taille des cristaux opaques dans les pélites finement grenues et fortement métamorphiques de la Formation de Big Cottonwood. Les distributions de taille ont été obtenues suite à l'analyse d'images 3D acquise par tomographie ainsi que par analyse de lames minces. La microtomographie par rayon X fournit une distribution de taille précise sur une marge restreinte (- un facteur de taille 20 dans une seule image 3D), alors que le nombre absolu de cristaux est difficile à obtenir sur la base d'image 2D en raison de la petite taille et de la faible abondance de ces cristaux. Les distributions de taille obtenues par les deux méthodes sont sinon similaire.
Abstact:
Chemical differentiation of the primitive Earth was due to melting and separation of melts. Today, melt generation and emplacement is still the dominant process for the growth of the crust. Most granite formation is due to partial melting of the lower crust, followed by transport of magma through the crust to the shallow crust where it is emplaced. Partial melting and melt segregation are essential steps before such a granitic magma can ascent through the crust. The chemistry and physics of partial melting and segregation is complex. Hence detailed studies, in which field observations yield critical information that can be compared to experimental observations, are crucial to the understanding of these fundamental processes that lead and are leading to the chemical stratification of the Earth.
The research presented in this thesis is a combined field and experimental study of partial melting of high-grade meta-pelitic rocks of the Little Cottonwood contact aureole (Utah, USA). Contact metamorphic rocks are ideal for textural studies of melt generation, since the relatively short times of the metamorphic event prevents much of the recrystallization which plagues textural studies of lower crustal rocks. The purpose of the study is to characterize melt generation, identify melting reactions, and to constrain melt formation, segregation and migration mechanisms. In parallel an experimental study was undertaken to investigate melt in the high grade meta pelitic rocks, to confirm melt composition, and to compare textures of the partial molten rock cores in the absence of deformation.
Results show that a pegmatoidal melt is produced by partial melting of the pelitic rocks. This melt is highly mobile. It is capable of pervasive infiltration of the adjacent quartzite. Infiltration results in rounded quartz grains bordered by a thin feldspar rim. Using computed micro X-ray tomography these melt networks can be imaged. The infiltrated melt leads to rheological weakening and to a decompaction of the solid quartzite. Such decompaction can explain the recent discovery of abundant xenocrysts in many magmas, since it favors the isolation of mineral grains. Pervasive infiltration is apparently strongly influenced by melt viscosity and melt-crystal wetting behavior, both of which depend on the water content of melt and the temperature.
In all experiments the first melt is produced on grain boundaries, dominantly by the local minerals. Grain scale heterogeneity of a melting rock leads thus to chemical concentration gradients in the melt, which are the driving force for initial melt migration. Pervasive melt films along grain boundaries leading to an interconnected network are immediately established. The initial chemical heterogeneities in the melt diminish with time.
Résumé large public:
La différenciation chimique de la Terre primitive est la conséquence de la fusion des roches et de la séparation des liquides qui en résultent. Aujourd'hui, la production de liquide magmatique est toujours le mécanisme dominant pour la croissance de la croûte terrestre. Ainsi la formation de la plupart des granites est un processus qui implique la production de magma par fusion partielle de la croûte inférieure, la migration de ces magmas à travers la croûte et finalement son emplacement dans les niveaux superficielle de la croûte terrestre. Au cours de cette évolution, les processus de fusion partielle et de ségrégation sont des étapes indispensables à l'ascension des granites à travers la croûte. Les conditions physico-chimiques nécessaires à la fusion partielle et à l'extraction de ces liquides sont complexes. C'est pourquoi des études détaillées des processus de fusion partielle sont cruciales pour la compréhension de ces mécanismes fondamentaux responsables de la stratification chimique de la Terre. Parmi ces études, les observations de terrain apportent notamment des informations déterminantes qui peuvent être comparées aux données expérimentales.
Le travail de recherche présenté dans ce mémoire de thèse associe études de terrain et données expérimentales sur la fusion partielle des roches pélitiques de haut degré métamorphiques provenant de l'auréole de contact de Little Cottonwood (Utah, USA). Les roches du métamorphisme de contact sont idéales pour l'étude de la folination de liquide de fusion. En effet, la durée relativement courte de ce type d'événement métamorphique prévient en grande partie la recristallisation qui perturbe les études de texture des roches dans la croûte inférieure. Le but de cette étude est de caractériser la génération des liquides de fusion, d'identifier les réactions responsables de la fusion de ces roches et de contraindre la formation de ces liquides et leur mécanisme de ségrégation et de migration. Parallèlement, des travaux expérimentaux ont été entrepris pour reproduire la fusion partielle de ces roches en laboratoire. Cette étude a été effectuée dans le but de confirmer la composition chimique des liquides, et de comparer les textures obtenues en l'absence de déformation. Les résultats montrent qu'un liquide de fusion pegmatoïde est produit par fusion partielle des roches pélitiques. La grande mobilité de ce liquide permet une infiltration pénétrative dans les quarzites. Ces infiltrations se manifestent par des grains de quartz arrondis entourés par une fine bordure de feldspath. L'utilisation de la tomography à rayons X a permis d'obtenir des images de ce réseau de liquide de fusion. L'infiltration de liquide de fusion entraîne un affaiblissement de la rhéologie de la roche ainsi qu'une décompaction des quartzites massifs. Une telle décompaction peut expliquer la découverte récente d'abondants xénocristaux dans beaucoup de magmas, puisque elle favorise l'isolation des minéraux. L'infiltration pénétrative est apparemment fortement influencée par la viscosité du fluide de fusion et le comportement de la tension superficielle entre les cristaux et le liquide, les deux étant dépendant du contenu en eau dans le liquide de fusion et de la température. Dans toutes les expériences, le premier liquide est produit sur les bordures de grains, principalement par les minéraux locaux. L'hétérogénéité à l'échelle des grains d'une roche en fusion conduit donc à un gradient de concentration chimique dans le liquide, qui sert de moteur à l'initiation de la migration du liquide. Des fines couches de liquide de fusion le long de bordures de grains formant un réseau enchevêtré s'établit immédiatement. Les hétérogénéités chimiques initiales dans le liquide s'estompent avec le temps
Stable Isotope Evidence of heterogeneous Fluid Infiltration at the Ubehebe Peak Contact Aureole, Death Valley National Park, California.
No full textThe destiny of a person in L.P. Karsavin’s philosophy of history
No full textIn the article analyses L.P. Karsavin’s concept of a person in his philosophy of history. Opens the specificity of Karsavin’s understanding of a person in the framework of Vl. Solovyov’s All-Unity and differences from Berdyaev’s personalism. The author comes to conclusion that Karsavin’s philosophy of history has personalistic character and in it reproduced the most systematic in Russian metaphysics experience of studying and understanding forms and types of personality in history of world and Russian culture
Advanced GPR data processing algorithms for detection of anti-personnel landmines
No full textGround Penetrating Radar (GPR) is seen as one of several promising technologies aimed to help mine detection. GPR is sensitive to any inhomogeneity in the ground. Therefore any APM regardless of the metal content can be detected. On the other hand, all the inhomogeneities, which do not represent mines, show up as a clutter in GPR images. Moreover, it is known that reflectivity of APM is often weaker than that of stones, pieces of shrapnel and barbed wire, etc. Altogether these factors cause GPR to produce unacceptably high false alarm rate whilst it reaches the 99.6% detection rate which is prescribed by an UN resolution as a standard for humanitarian demining. The main goal of the work presented in the thesis is reduction of the false alarm rate while keeping the 99.6% detection rate intact. To reach this goal a set of data processing algorithms is developed and organized into an unsupervised target detection scheme. These algorithms are dedicated to clutter suppression and simultaneous detection of APM signatures in both GPR raw data and images resulting from them. The developed algorithms constitute together the following achievements: - An unsupervised generalized likelihood ratio test-based feature fusion framework; - A waveform based target detection/clutter suppression; - Advanced methods for construction of GPR maps The unsupervised generalized likelihood ratio test based feature fusion framework, which has been suggested in this thesis, takes as input an arbitrary amount of confidence maps corresponding to training and testing sites. The output of the framework is a list of target locations. The framework uses training data which can come from independent and non-coincident measurements with different radars and even sensors. The data from each of the sensors are processed independently to result in several detection lists. Every detection in these lists is accompanied with one or several features each represented by a scalar number. A decision level fusion is applied to reconcile the lists i.e. to associate the detections in them with the appropriate physical locations. Then the binary hypothesis testing is executed for the reconciled locations separating them on clutter and target lists. The generalized likelihood ratio test is employed to this end. The feature pre-normalization via Johnson's transform in suggested by the author to be used prior the testing. It is shown in the thesis that such approach outperforms the direct generalized likelihood ratio testing ad. hoc. based fusion techniques. The waveform based target detection/clutter suppression algorithm, which detects disc-shaped APM in heavy clutter with low false alarm rate, has been developed by the author. The algorithm detects a class of low-metal APM with a cylindrical shape (such as PMN2, M14, and NR22 etc.) using just a single reference target return. It suppresses clutter responses from friendly objects while marking the presence of targets with sharp monopulses and preserving the spatial pattern inherent to localized objects. The algorithm is insensitive to the reflectivity and physical diameter of the target and also tolerates certain volatility in the properties of the hosting soil. This algorithm is superimposed with a focusing technique to further improve the mine detectability. A number of improved projection techniques, which allow better detection of APM in focused GPR images is also developed by the author. These utilize the prior knowledge on the character of the spatial correlation properties of target images and allow detection of the burial depth of the target. The algorithms suggested in the thesis were tested on the data acquired during two separate measurement campaigns held at the special facilities for testing of mine detection systems. It has been shown, that the fused multi-feature detection that uses the algorithms reported in this thesis, significantly decreases the false alarm rate in comparison to the previously published studies for the same minefields.Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc
Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid nutrition in breastfed and complementary fed South African infants
No full textPhD (Nutrition), North-West University, Potchefstroom CampusIntroduction: Adequate intake of essential fatty acids (EFAs) and long-chain polyunsaturated FAs (LCPUFAs) during infancy are important for optimal growth and development. During the first six months of life, the growing infant receives LCPUFAs through breast milk or LCPUFA-supplemented infant formula. Therefore, lactating women should consume adequate amounts of preformed LCPUFAs to ensure adequate transfer of LCPUFAs to the infant through breast milk. However, the introduction of LCPUFA-poor complementary foods at the age of six months may lead to a reduction in blood LCPUFA levels. It is estimated that nearly 22 million infants in low- and middle-income countries are at risk of insufficient intake of LCPUFA. Particularly, LCPUFA intakes from breast milk and complementary foods in South Africa were estimated to be below the recommended intakes. Furthermore, studying different fatty acid (FA) patterns instead of individual FAs considers the different interactions and interrelations that may exist. Thus, in addition to determining the plasma phospholipid FA patterns of infants, the main objective of this study was to assess LCPUFA nutrition of South African infants during breastfeeding and the complementary feeding period. Methods: In a randomised controlled trial, six-month-old infants from a peri-urban township were randomly selected to receive daily, a small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplement (SQ-LNS) containing EFAs linoleic acid (LA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) (SQ-LNS); daily SQ-LNS with both EFAs and the LCPUFAs docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (AA) (SQ-LNS-plus), or a control group receiving no supplement. The SQ-LNSs additionally contained micronutrients. Plasma total phospholipid FA composition (% of total FAs) was measured at baseline (n=353) and at 12 months (n=293) (infants with FA data at 6 and 12 months, n=148). Baseline characteristics were assessed to determine associations of total plasma phospholipid FA patterns with feeding practices, growth and psychomotor development. Feeding practices and dietary intakes were assessed using a structured questionnaire and unquantified food frequency questionnaire, respectively. Psychomotor development was assessed using the Kilifi Developmental Inventory (KDI) and anthropometric measurements were measured in all infants. In a cross-sectional study, red blood cell (RBC) total phospholipids as well as fore-, mid-feed and hind-milk samples of lactating mothers (n=100) of 2-4-month-old infants living in a peri-urban township were assessed. RBC total phospholipid and breast milk FAs were analysed by using quadrupole gas chromatography -electron impact-tandem mass spectrometry (GCMS/MS). Results: In six-month-old South African infants, infants who received formula milk had higher scores, while breastfed infants had lower scores for the ‘high EFAs with low DHA and AA’ and ‘high MUFA and nervonic acid' patterns. Infants who received breast milk, semi-solid foods or cow's milk but not infant formula milk, had higher scores, while formula-fed infants had lower scores for the ‘high n-6 LCPUFA’ pattern. Infants who received breast milk and semi-solids had higher scores for the 'trans-FA pattern'. The ‘high MUFA and nervonic acid’ and ‘trans-FA’ patterns were positively associated with psychomotor development, while no associations were found with growth. Results from the intervention study showed the geometric mean (95% CI) plasma total phospholipid DHA and AA contents of 4.1 (4.0-4.3) and 11.5 (11.2-11.8) % respectively. Breastfed infants had significantly higher plasma DHA and AA than their non-breastfed counterparts. Infants receiving the SQ-LNS-plus had significantly higher plasma DHA (4.52 [4.3-4.9]) at 12 months than the infants in the control group (3.8 [3.6-4.0]). The effect size was higher in infants who no longer received breast milk (? = 1.148 [95% CI= 0.597, 1.699]) than in infants who were still receiving breast milk (? = 0.544 [95% CI= 0.179, 0.909]). The two SQ-LNSs had no effect on plasma AA. Breast milk DHA and AA levels of 100 lactating women were (geometric mean [95% CI]) 0.25 (0.24, 3.71) and 0.81 (0.79, 0.83) %, respectively. Breast milk LA and ALA contents were 19.7 (19.1, 20.1) and 0.81 (0.77, 0.88) % respectively. Breast milk ALA and DHA levels were higher in mid-feed milk than in fore-milk while AA levels did not change during a feeding session. Breast milk DHA positively correlated with maternal RBC DHA. The association between breast milk DHA and maternal RBC DHA was stronger in fore-milk and became weaker in mid-feed and hind-milk. Fish consumption was positively associated with higher RBC EPA composition. Conclusion: The results from this research suggest breast milk is a predominant source of n-6 LCPUFAs at the age of six months, however, South African infants receiving infant formula milk may be at risk of inadequate LCPUFA intake. Furthermore, continued breastfeeding and consumption of LCPUFA-enriched SQ-LNS improved plasma DHA status of infants at 12 months. Infants who no longer receive breast milk, particularly, may benefit most from a SQ-LNS enriched with LCPUFAs. The results from this research further indicate that during breast milk EFA and LCPUFA composition may change within a feed. Also, breast milk DHA was associated with maternal RBC DHA status which confirms that DHA is selectively transferred to the breastfeeding infant within-feed. However, the high content of LA observed in the breast milk of women in this population seemingly reflects a high dietary intake of LA. Thus, it is plausible that lactating women living in a peri-urban township in South Africa may not be consuming adequate dietary sources for n-3 LCPUFAs.Doctora
Signal processing of FMCW Synthetic Aperture Radar data
No full textIn the field of airborne earth observation there is special attention to compact, cost effective, high resolution imaging sensors. Such sensors are foreseen to play an important role in small-scale remote sensing applications, such as the monitoring of dikes, watercourses, or highways. Furthermore, such sensors are of military interest; reconnaissance tasks could be performed with small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), reducing in this way the risk for one's own troops. In order to be operated from small, even unmanned, aircrafts, such systems must consume little power and be small enough to fulfill the usually strict payload requirements. Moreover, to be of interest for the civil market, cost effectiveness is mandatory. Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) radar systems are generally compact and relatively cheap to purchase and to exploit. They consume little power and, due to the fact that they are continuously operating, they can transmit a modest power, which makes them very interesting for military operations. Consequently, FMCW radar technology is of interest for civil and military airborne earth observation applications, specially in combination with high resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) techniques. The novel combination of FMCW technology and SAR techniques leads to the development of a small, lightweight and cost-effective high resolution imaging sensor. SAR techniques have been successfully applied in combination with coherent pulse radars. Also the concept of synthetic aperture with FMCW sensors has already been put forward in literature, and some experimental systems have been described. However, the practical feasibility of an airborne FMCW SAR was not evident; the experimental sensors described in literature were, in fact, radars mounted on rail supports operating in ground SAR configurations and at short distances. The FMCW radars could perform measurements in each position of the synthetic aperture and then be moved to the next one. As in conventional pulse SAR systems, the stop-and-go approximation could be used; such an approximation assumes the radar platform stationary during the transmission of the electromagnetic pulses and the reception of the corresponding echoes. For airborne FMCW radars, however, the stop-and-go approximation can be not valid anymore because the platform is actually moving while continuously transmitting. A complete model for the deramped FMCW SAR signal was missing in the literature. In addition to the particular signal aspects relative to the combination of FMCW technology and SAR techniques, the use of FMCW radars for long range high resolution applications was not evident. In practical FMCW sensors, specially when using cheap components, the presence of unwanted non-linearities in the frequency modulation severely degrades the radar performances for long distances. Again, proper processing methods to overcome such limitation due to frequency non-linearities were not available to the scientific community. Therefore, the area of FMCW SAR airborne observation and related signal processing aspects was a very novel field of research. At the International Research Centre for Telecommunications and Radar (IRCTR) of the Delft University of Technology, a project was initiated to investigate the feasibility of FMCW SAR in the field of airborne earth observation and to develop proper processing algorithms to fully exploit the capability of such sensors. Within the framework of the project, the following novelties and main results have been reached and are presented in the thesis: Non-linearities correction. The author has developed a very novel processing solution, which completely solves the problem of the presence of frequency non-linearities in FMCW SAR. It corrects for the non-linearity effects for the whole range profile at once, and it allows a perfect range focussing, independently of the looking angle. The proposed method operates directly on the deramped data and it is very computationally efficient. A complete FMCW SAR signal model. The author has proposed a detailed analytical model for the FMCW SAR signal in the two-dimensional frequency domain. Based on this model, proper algorithms have been developed which guarantee the best performance when processing FMCW SAR data. Moving Target Indication (MTI) with frequency modulated CW SAR. Two SAR MTI methods are proposed. The first is based on the frequency slope diversity in the transmitted modulation by using linear triangular FMCW SAR, while the second makes use of the Doppler filtering properties of randomized SFCW modulations. First demonstration of an X-band FMCW SAR. A flight test campaign has been organized during the last part of 2005. The results were very successful. The feasibility of an operational FMCW SAR based on cheap components has been proved under practical circumstances. Thanks to the special algorithms developed, FMCW SAR images with a measured 45 cm times 25 cm resolution (including windowing) were obtained for the first time.Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc
Adaptive OFDM and CDMA Algorithms for SISO and MIMO Channels
No full textThe objective of this thesis is to study adaptive modulation algorithms for Single Input Single Output (SISO) and Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) channels. The adaptive modulation technique has the advantages of flexibility, providing high transmission quality and throughput; and it can lead to a smaller volume of radio and more applications. The major contribution of the author is discussed in the following paragraphs. To the best of the authorâs knowledge, the strategy and working procedures of the adaptive modulation technique have not yet been described in the literature. We propose strategies and work procedures for adaptive modulation in this dissertation. In addition, for the first time, it is proposed that the development of adaptive modulation consists of three stages, in which the adaptivity is taken to a higher level. We assert in this thesis that adaptive modulation algorithms involve two themes, i.e., channel and modulation. We analyze two types of channels: SISO and MIMO channels. We investigate the SISO channel in time, frequency, and space domains, which is efficient for designing adaptive modulation algorithms. Further, initially we propose three approaches as solutions to problems in each of the domains, i.e., adaptive techniques (time domain), OFDM (frequency domain), and MIMO technique (space domain). These three approaches are investigated in this thesis. We study the concept, structure, and characteristics of MIMO channels. The gains of three MIMO schemes and parameters influencing these gains are generalized. What is more, we introduce a new factor, the Rician K gain, to describe the MIMO gain with respect to that of SISO channels. In addition, we work out the SNR gains of these three MIMO schemes compared with SISO channels for a large SNR range, which have not been found in literature. This is indispensable for the design of adaptive modulation algorithms for MIMO channels. With regard to modulation, we list the parameters of OFDM and CDMA modulations for adaptive OFDM and adaptive CDMA algorithms to be designed. In order to obtain direct relationships between modulation parameters and throughput, we derive two throughput formulas, an OFDM formula and a CDMA formula. We show that the traditional commonly held belief that the subcarrier bandwidth influences transmission quality is true only if the channel RDS is constant. To explain this, we define a new parameter, PFR, as the product of subcarrier bandwidth and RDS. How this parameter works and by what factors it is limited are studied in this thesis. Subsequently, we propose three successful adaptive modulation algorithms, i.e., an adaptive OFDM algorithm for SISO channels, an adaptive OFDM algorithm for MIMO channels, and an adaptive CDMA algorithm for MIMO channels. Perfect channel estimation is assumed in our work. For the adaptive OFDM algorithms, we propose three subband settings. Remarkable throughput gains are obtained from all these adaptive modulation algorithms in simulations. We put forward the new idea of employing more than one MIMO scheme in a system and adapting these schemes using our adaptive modulation algorithms. Simulation results show that extra gains can be obtained by this method. The performance gains of our algorithms are dependent on the channel situation. The influence of channel parameters on these relative gains is investigated in this work as well. We introduce an SNR boundary matrix to set processing gains and modulation levels in our adaptive CDMA algorithm for MIMO channels.Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc
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