MIMO-OFDM for wireless communications: signal detection with enhanced channel estimation

Multiple transmit and receive antennas can be used to form multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channels to increase the capacity by a factor of the minimum number of transmit and receive antennas. In this paper, orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) for MIMO channels (MIMO-OFDM) is considered for wideband transmission to mitigate intersymbol interference and enhance system capacity. The MIMO-OFDM system uses two independent space-time codes for two sets of two transmit antennas. At the receiver, the independent space-time codes are decoded using prewhitening, followed by minimum-Euclidean-distance decoding based on successive interference cancellation. Computer simulation shows that for four-input and four-output systems transmitting data at 4 Mb/s over a 1.25 MHz channel, the required signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) for 10% and 1% word error rates (WER) are 10.5 dB and 13.8 dB, respectively, when each codeword contains 500 information bits and the channel's Doppler frequency is 40 Hz (corresponding normalized frequency: 0.9%). Increasing the number of the receive antennas improves the system performance. When the number or receive antennas is increased from four to eight, the required SNRs for 10% and 1% WER are reduced to 4 dB and 6 dB, respectively. Therefore, MIMO-OFDM is a promising technique for highly spectrally efficient wideband transmission.     

Koko: an architecture for affect-aware games

The importance of affect in delivering engaging experiences in entertainment and educational games is well recognized. Yet, current techniques for building affect-aware games are limited, with the maintenance and use of affect in essence being handcrafted for each game. The Koko architecture describes a service-oriented middleware that reduces the burden of incorporating affect recognition into games, thereby enabling developers to concentrate on the functional and creative aspects of their applications. The Koko architecture makes three key contributions: (1) improving developer productivity by creating a reusable and extensible environment; (2) yielding an enhanced user experience by enabling independently developed games and other applications to collaborate and provide a more coherent user experience than currently possible; (3) enabling affective communication in multiplayer and social games. Further, Koko is intended to be used as an extension of existing game architectures. We recognize that complex games require additional third party libraries, such as game engines. To enable the required flexibility we define the interfaces of the Koko architecture in a formal manner, thereby enabling the implementation of those interfaces to readily adapt to the unique requirements of game’s other architectural components and requirements.     

Robust channel estimation for OFDM systems with rapid dispersivefading channels

Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) modulation is a promising technique for achieving the high bit rates required for a wireless multimedia service. Without channel estimation and tracking, OFDM systems have to use differential phase-shift keying (DPSK), which has a 3-dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) loss compared with coherent phase-shift keying (PSK). To improve the performance of OFDM systems by using coherent PSK, we investigate robust channel estimation for OFDM systems. We derive a minimum mean-square-error (MMSE) channel estimator, which makes full use of the time- and frequency-domain correlations of the frequency response of time-varying dispersive fading channels. Since the channel statistics are usually unknown, we also analyze the mismatch of the estimator-to-channel statistics and propose a robust channel estimator that is insensitive to the channel statistics. The robust channel estimator can significantly improve the performance of OFDM systems in a rapid dispersive fading channel     

Tap-selectable decision-feedback equalization

This paper presents an adaptive tap assignment technique for improving the performance of a previously reported reduced-complexity decision-feedback equalizer (DFE) for broadband band wireless systems. The spacings of individual feedforward taps of the DFE are made selectable so that, when the channel consists of a sparsely distributed multipath with a large delay spread (e.g. “hilly terrain” (HT) delay profiles), the equalizer span can be increased without increasing the total number of taps. We propose simple tap selection algorithms and show that they provide: (1) performance gains over a contiguous-tap approach in various outdoor delay profiles and (2) improved robustness against fast fading     

Effect of grazing and fat supplementation on production and reproduction of Holstein cows

The objective of this trial was to investigate the effects of feeding a soybean oil refining by-product (SORB), made up mainly of sodium salts of long-chain fatty acids, on reproductive performance and productivity of 36 early lactation Holstein cows managed in a free-stall barn or on annual rye-ryegrass pasture. In this 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments, cows consumed 0 or 0.5 kg/d of SORB as part of a total mixed ration for barn cows or as part of a grain supplement fed to cows on intensively, rotationally stocked pasture. Blood was sampled 3 times weekly and plasma was measured for progesterone to assess ovarian activity. Estrus activity was recorded using the HeatWatch estrus detection system. Although average 14-wk milk production (37.2 kg/d) was not different among treatments, barn cows had more persistent lactations than did grazing cows. Cows housed in the barn lost less body weight and returned to initial body weight sooner and had lower mean concentrations of plasma nonesterified fatty acids (464 vs. 261 mEq/L) than those managed on pasture. The milk fat of cows on pasture contained greater proportions of conjugated linoleic acid and linolenic acid but a corresponding 0.22 percentage unit decrease in milk fat concentration (3.39 vs. 3.16%). Cows managed on pasture had greater peak concentrations of plasma progesterone during the first estrous cycle. Cows managed on pasture and fed SORB had the greatest accumulation of plasma progesterone over the 14 wk of the study (SORB × housing interaction). These cows experienced the most mounts during their first estrus (9.3) and pregnancy rate was also greatest for this treatment (62.5%). Feeding SORB did not affect production of milk, fat, or protein. Loss of body condition was less in cows fed SORB. Ruminal fluid concentration of propionate increased and ruminal pH decreased in cows fed SORB. A lower proportion of fatty acids less than 18 carbons in length was found in the milk fat of cows fed SORB, thus indicating lower de novo synthesis of fatty acids. Higher proportions of C18:2n-6 and conjugated C18:2 were found in the milk fat of cows fed SORB. Based on concentrations of plasma progesterone, cows fed SORB experienced their first ovulation earlier (26.7 vs. 42.4 d postpartum) than did cows not supplemented with SORB. Neither housing system nor SORB supplementation influenced detection of first estrus (50.5 d) or the mean length of each estrus period (447 min).     

Joint equalization and interference suppression for high data ratewireless systems

Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution (EDGE) is currently being standardized as an evolution of GSM in Europe and of IS-136 in the United States as an air interface for high speed data services for third generation mobile systems. In this paper, we study space-time processing for EDGE to provide interference suppression. We consider the use of two receive antennas and propose a joint equalization and diversity receiver. This receiver uses feedforward filters on each diversity branch to perform minimum mean-square error cochannel interference suppression, while leaving the intersymbol interference to be mitigated by the subsequent equalizer. The equalizer is a delayed decision feedback sequence estimator, consisting of a reduced-state Viterbi processor and a feedback filter. The equalizer provides soft output to the channel decoder after deinterleaving. We describe a novel weight generation algorithm and present simulation results on the link performance of EDGE with interference suppression. These results show a significant improvement in the signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) performance due to both diversity (against fading) and interference suppression. At a 10% block error rate, the proposed receiver provides a 20 dB improvement in SIR for both the typical urban and hilly terrain profiles     

Effects of chip rate on selective RAKE combining

The focus of this paper is to characterize the performance of a RAKE receiver tracking the L strongest multipath components and to quantify the effects of the chip rate on spread spectrum systems operating in dense multipath frequency-selective fading environments. Analytical expressions for the symbol error probability are derived in terms of the chip rate, multipath spread of the channel and an arbitrary number of combined paths     

Performance of a TDM/TDMA portable radio link for interference,noise, and delay spread impairments

Presents the measured/simulated performance of a time division multiplexing/time division multiple access (TDM/TDMA) portable radio link for noise, interference and delay spread impairments. The radio link transmits short TDMA bursts of 82 symbols at 450 kbits/sec using 4QAM. This modulation is also referred to 4PSK, but phase shift modulation is constant envelope. Nyquist filtering of quadrature signal components yields quadrature amplitude modulation which, of course, also contains π/2 phase variations at the sampling instants. Demodulation is performed by a low-overhead digital coherent demodulator with 2-branch selection diversity. The port or base has two receivers for diversity but the portable or handset uses only a single receiver to perform selection diversity. Signal-to-noise ratio and signal-to-interference ratio performance of the link was measured for a stationary channel and for a channel with different fading rates. In a Rayleigh fading environment, increasing the fading rate causes only a small performance degradation. The results also show that selection diversity is effective against interference in a slow Rayleigh fading environment. A separate set of experiments were performed to measure the effects of delay-spread on the link. Selection diversity is effective in reducing the word-error ratio floor caused by frequency-selective fading. As a result, relatively high data rates can be supported by a multipath fading channel without using adaptive equalization. Thus, a portable radio communications system using low complexity hardware design incorporating selection diversity can achieve good performance     

Fluctuating water table effect on phosphorus release and availability from a Florida Spodosol

Spodosols in Florida exhibit a unique hydrology including a fluctuating water table that can often reach the surface horizon during the summer months. This paper evaluated the effects of fluctuating water table on P fluxes and availability in a typical Florida Spodosol. The study was conducted on an established bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flügge) pasture grown on a Smyrna sand (sandy, siliceous, hyperthermic Aeric Alaquods). Phosphorus fluxes were measured using suction cup lysimeters installed at depths of 15, 30, 60, 90, and 150 cm. The 15- and 30-cm deep lysimeters were located above the spodic (Bh) horizon, whereas the remaining lysimeters (60-, 90- and 150-cm) were below the Bh horizon. A pressure transducer was installed at the center of the experimental site to monitor changes in water table depth. Two anion exchange membranes (2 × 6 cm) were buried in each plot at a 15-cm depth to estimate in situ P availability. During the 2-year study, leachate P concentrations in the lysimeters above the Bh horizon increased as water tables rose in the months of August and September. Conversely, P concentration measured in the lysimeters below the Bh horizon remained relatively constant (0.02 mg L⁻¹). Soil P availability also increased (from 3.2 μg cm⁻² in June to 9.2 μg cm⁻² in August) in response to rising water table. Results showed that the fluctuating water table conditions experienced during the summer months in Florida cause upward flux of P from the Bh horizon, which increased soil P availability and susceptibility to off-site transport.     

Grazing management and supplementation effects on forage and dairy cow performance on cool-season pastures in the southeastern United States

Cool-season annual forages provide high-quality herbage for up to 5 mo in the US Gulf Coast states, but their management in pasture-based dairy systems has received little attention. Objectives of this study were to evaluate pasture and animal responses when lactating Holstein cows (n = 32, mean DIM = 184 ± 21) grazed either N-fertilized rye (Secale cereale L.)-annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) mixed pastures or rye-annual ryegrass-crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.)-red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) pastures at 2 stocking rates (5 vs. 2.5 cows/ha) and 2 rates of concentrate supplementation [0.29 or 0.40 kg of supplement (as is)/kg of daily milk production]. Two cows paired by parity (one multiparous and one primiparous) were assigned randomly to each pasture. The 2 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments was replicated twice in a completely randomized design. Forage mixture and supplementation rate did not affect milk production during three 28-d periods. Greater milk production occurred at the low (19.7 kg/d) than the high (14.7 kg/d) stocking rate during periods 2 and 3, but production was similar during period 1. Despite lower production per cow, milk production per hectare was generally greater at the high stocking rate (81.6 vs. 49.5 kg/ha). Generally, greater pregraze herbage mass on pastures at the lower stocking rate (1,400 vs. 1,150 kg/ha) accounted for greater herbage allowance. Both forage (8.0 vs. 5.9 kg/d) and total (14.1 vs. 11.6) organic matter intake were greater at the low stocking rate. Cows fed less supplement had greater forage organic matter intake (8.0 vs. 6.1 kg/d). Greater herbage mass was associated with the greater intake and subsequent greater milk production. Differences in forage nutritive value, blood metabolites and milk composition, although showing some response to treatments, may not be of sufficient magnitude to affect choice of pasture species or other management practices. Animal performance was not improved by adding clovers to mixed cool-season grass pastures like those in this study. Stocking rate had a major effect on pasture and animal performance. During the cool season, supplementation with concentrates should be planned based on estimated energy intake from forages to achieve optimum milk production and ensure maintenance of body condition.