Optimal sequences and sum capacity of symbol asynchronous CDMA systems

The optimal signature sequences that maximize the sum capacity of a direct sequence code-division multiple-access (CDMA) system are characterized in the general case of symbol delay profile and user power constraints. It is shown that the optimal sum capacity of the symbol asynchronous system equals that of the symbol synchronous system with the same user power constraints. With the optimal signature sequence set, the maximum sum capacity is achieved with white Gaussian input signals. The existence of the optimal signature sequence set is proved by the proposal of an explicit construction method for arbitrary user delay profiles and power constraints.     

Preparation of poly(methyl methacrylate-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate-co-glycidyl methacrylate) walled thermochromic microcapsules and their application to cotton fabrics

This study focused on fabrication of the thermochromic microcapsules and their application to the cotton fabric. In this study, thermochromic systems composed of crystal violet lactone, bisphenol A, and 1-tetradecanol were prepared and microencapsulated by emulsion polymerization method in poly(methyl methacrylate-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate-co-glycidyl methacrylate) wall. The microcapsules were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis. Their thermoregulating property was tested by T-history test. The results revealed that microcapsules with smooth surfaces, core–shell structured, and spherical shape were successfully produced. The latent heat storage capacity of the microcapsules decreased from 202 J g⁻¹ to 167 J g⁻¹ when their shell/core ratio changed from 0.5/1 to 2/1. Microcapsules were adequately had sufficient thermal resistance to the temperatures they will encounter during their application to textile products and their usage. According to the UV–visible spectroscopy analysis and color measurements, the microcapsules exhibited reversible color change from blue to colorless and vice versa. Besides, the microcapsule impregnated fabric was able to absorb latent heat energy of 21.79 J g⁻¹ at around 35 °C and had cooling effect. According to the colorimetric parameters, the fabric was at blue color at room temperature and became colorless when heated to the temperature above the melting point of thermochromic system. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48815.     

Optimum Power Allocation for Single-User MIMO and Multi-User MIMO-MAC with Partial CSI

We consider both the single-user and the multi-user power allocation problems in MIMO systems, where the receiver side has the perfect channel state information (CSI), and the transmitter side has partial CSI, which is in the form of covariance feedback. In a single-user MIMO system, we consider an iterative algorithm that solves for the eigenvalues of the optimum transmit covariance matrix that maximizes the rate. The algorithm is based on enforcing the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) optimality conditions of the optimization problem at each iteration. We prove that this algorithm converges to the unique global optimum power allocation when initiated at an arbitrary point. We, then, consider the multi-user generalization of the problem, which is to find the eigenvalues of the optimum transmit covariance matrices of all users that maximize the sum rate of the MIMO multiple access channel (MIMO-MAC). For this problem, we propose an algorithm that finds the unique optimum power allocation policies of all users. At a given iteration, the multi-user algorithm updates the power allocation of one user, given the power allocations of the rest of the users, and iterates over all users in a round-robin fashion. Finally, we make several suggestions that significantly improve the convergence rate of the proposed algorithms.     

Joint channel estimation and resource allocation for MIMO systems-part I: single-user analysis

Multiple antenna systems are known to provide very large data rates, when the perfect channel state information (CSI) is available at the receiver. However, this requires the receiver to perform a noise-free, multi-dimensional channel estimation, without using communication resources. In practice, any channel estimation is noisy and uses system resources. We shall examine the trade-off between improving channel estimation and increasing the achievable data rate. We consider transmitside correlated multi-input multi-output (MIMO) channels with block fading, where each block is divided into training and data transmission phases. The receiver has a noisy CSI that it obtains through a channel estimation process, while the transmitter has partial CSI in the form of covariance feedback. In Part I of this two-part paper, we consider the single-user case, and optimize the achievable rate jointly over parameters associated with the training phase and data transmission phase. In particular, we first choose the training signal to minimize the channel estimation error, and then, develop an iterative algorithm to solve for the optimum system resources such as time, power and spatial dimensions. Specifically, the algorithm finds the optimum training duration, the optimum allocation of power between training and data transmission phases, the optimum allocation of power over the antennas during the data transmission phase.     

Comparative study on corrosion behaviors of Mg-Al-Zn alloys

A comparative study on corrosion behaviors of various Mg-Al-Zn alloys (AZ21, AZ41, AZ61 and AZ91 series, cast under same cooling conditions and controlled alloying composition) was carried out. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used for microstructural examinations. The corrosion behaviors were evaluated by immersion tests and potentiodynamic polarization measurements in 3.5% NaCl solution. The results showed that the influence of Al addition on corrosion resistance was more pronounced up to 4% (i.e. AZ41) above which its influence was at less extent. The deterioration of the corrosion resistance of the alloys, at higher Al contents, was attributed to the amount and morphology of β-Mg₁₇Al₁₂ intermetallics and the interruption of continuity of the oxide film on the surface of the alloys owing to coarsened β intermetallics.     

Ergodic sum capacity maximization for CDMA:Optimum resource allocation

We solve for the optimum signature sequence and power allocation policies that maximize the information-theoretic ergodic sum capacity of a code-division multiple-access (CDMA) system subject to fading. We show that at most N users may transmit at any given channel state, where N is the processing gain; and those users who are transmitting should be assigned orthogonal signature sequences. We also show that the power allocation policy that maximizes the capacity together with the choice of these signature sequences is single-user water-filling over sets of channel states that are favorable to each user. That is, the capacity maximizing signaling scheme is shown to dictate that the users allocate their powers and signature sequences in such a way that they always avoid interference from each other.     

A blind adaptive decorrelating detector for CDMA systems

The decorrelating detector is known to eliminate multiaccess interference when the signature sequences of the users are linearly independent, at the cost of enhancing the Gaussian receiver noise. We present a blind adaptive decorrelating detector which is based on the observation of readily available statistics. The algorithm recursively updates the filter coefficients of a desired user by using the output of the current filter. Due to the randomness of the information bits transmitted and the ambient Gaussian channel noise, the filter coefficients evolve stochastically. We prove the convergence of the filter coefficients to a decorrelating detector in the mean squared error (MSE) sense. We develop lower and upper bounds on the MSE of the receiver filter from the convergence point and show that with a fixed step size sequence, the MSE can be made arbitrarily small by choosing a small enough step size. With a time-varying step size sequence, the MSE converges to zero implying an exact convergence. The proposed algorithm is distributed, in the sense that no information about the interfering users such as their signature sequences or power levels is needed. The algorithm requires the knowledge of only two parameters for the construction of the receiver filter of a desired user: the desired user's signature sequence and the variance of the additive white Gaussian (AWG) receiver noise. This detector, for an asynchronous code division multiple access (CDMA) channel, converges to the one-shot decorrelating detector     

Preparation and textile application of poly(methyl methacrylate-co-methacrylic acid)/n-octadecane and n-eicosane microcapsules

In this study, a series of microencapsulated phase change materials with poly(methyl methacrylate-co-methacrylic acid) P(MMA-co-MAA) shell and n-octadecane or n-eicosane core were synthesized by emulsion polymerization method. The aim was to produce microencapsulated n-alkanes having functional groups on their outer surface, so that functional groups would help increasing physical interactions between microcapsules and fiber surface. Therefore, methyl methacrylate (MMA), ethylene glycoldimethacrylate (EGDM), and methacrylic acid (MAA) were copolymerized in oil phase of n-alkane. FT-IR results proved the successful synthesis of P(MMA-co-MAA) shell of microencapsulated n-alkanes. The DSC results indicated that the microencapsulated n-alkanes have considerable latent heat storage capacity in a range of 58–145 J/g. The average melting and freezing temperatures of the microencapsulated n-alkanes were measured as 27 and 26 °C for n-octadecane and 36 and 35 °C for n-eicosane, respectively. The microcapsules were of spherical and compact shape with particle sizes between 15 and 32 μm. The microcapsules on the cotton fabric applied by pad-dry-cure method were found highly durable and they showed sufficient stability upon several washings and rub fastness. Thermo-regulating properties of the fabrics were declared as a result of thermal history measurements.     

Synthesis and thermal properties of poly(n‐butyl acrylate)/n‐hexadecane microcapsules using different cross‐linkers and their application to textile fabrics

This study focused on the preparation, characterization, and determination of thermal properties of microencapsulated n‐hexadecane with poly(butyl acrylate) (PBA) to be used in textiles with heat storage property. Microcapsules were synthesized by emulsion polymerization method, and the particle size, particle size distribution, shape, and thermal storage/release properties of the synthesized microcapsules were analyzed using Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry techniques. Allyl methacrylate, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, and glycidyl methacrylate were used as cross‐linkers to produce unimodal particle size distribution. MicroPBA microcapsules produced using allyl methacrylate cross‐linker were applied to 100% cotton and 50/50% cotton/polyester blend fabrics by pad‐cure method. The mean particle size of microcapsules ranges from 0.47 to 4.25 μm. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis indicated that hexadecane in the microcapsules melts at nearly 17°C and crystallizes at around 15°C. The contents of n‐hexadecane of different PBA microcapsules were in the range of 27.7–50.7%, and the melting enthalpies for these ratios were between 65.67 and 120.16 J/g, respectively. The particle size and thermal properties of microcapsules changed depending on the cross‐linker type. The cotton and 50/50% cotton/polyester blend fabrics stored 6.56 and 28.59 J/g thermal energy, respectively. The results indicated that PBA microcapsules have the potential to be used as a solid‐state thermal energy storage material in fabrics. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Power Control for Fading Cooperative Multiple Access Channels

For a fading Gaussian multiple access channel with user cooperation, we obtain the power allocation policies that maximize the average rates achievable by block Markov superposition coding, subject to average power constraints. The optimal policies result in a coding scheme that is simpler than the one for a general multiple access channel with generalized feedback. This simpler coding scheme also leads to the possibility of formulating an otherwise non-concave optimization problem as a concave one. Using the perfect channel state information available at the transmitters to adapt the powers, we demonstrate gains over the achievable rates for existing cooperative systems.