Cette thèse porte sur la conception d'algorithmes adaptatifs pour des communications sans fil dans un contexte multi-antennes en émission et en réception (MIMO) et en environnement tunnel pour les métros. La technologie MIMO permet de répondre aux besoins de haut débit et de qualité de transmission. Dans les tunnels, ces performances sont réduites en raison de la corrélation spatiale. Dans cette thèse, nous avons étudié les algorithmes de précodage MIMO, qui utilisent la connaissance du canal (CSI) à l'émetteur. Généralement, ces algorithmes nécessitent un lien retour pour transmettre la CSI. Afin de minimiser la perte d'efficacité spectrale due au lien retour, nous avons choisi des précodeurs issus de la littérature qui réduisent le débit sur le lien retour. Nous avons réalisé une chaîne de simulation complète et réaliste afin d'évaluer les performances de ces précodeurs en tenant compte de plusieurs niveaux de quantité et de qualité de la CSI. Les simulations ont été réalisées dans des canaux théoriques et mesurés. Nous avons aussi évalué l'impact du bruit impulsif caractéristique de l'environnement ferroviaire. Nous proposons une borne supérieure théorique de la probabilité d'erreur du précodeur max-dmin dans des environnements décorrelés en présence du bruit impulsif modélisé par une loi de Cauchy ainsi qu'un récepteur adapté à ce bruit. La caractérisation du canal de propagation MIMO en tunnel a aussi permis d'obtenir une connaissance fine des caractéristiques du canal de en fonction de la position dans le tunnel. Ainsi, nous avons donc proposé un précodeur basé sur la connaissance de la matrice de corrélation et étudié la possibilité de supprimer le lien retour. / This thesis focuses on the design of adaptive algorithms for wireless communications in a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) design for subway tunnel environment. MIMO system meet the requirement of high capacity and robustness. However, these performance decreased due to the spatial correlation in tunnels. In this thesis, we studied precoding MIMO algorithms that use the channel state information (CSI) at the transmitter. Generally, these algorithms require feedback from receiver. To minimize the loss of spectral efficiency due to the reverse link, we selected from the literature precoder that reduce the feedback. We conducted a complete and realistic simulation system to evaluate the performance of these precoders taking into account several levels of quantity and quality of the CSI. For simulation, we used both theoretical and measured channels. We also assessed the impact of impulsive noise measured in the railway environment. By assuming a Cauchy law, We propose a receiver and a theoretical upper bound of the error probability of max-dmin precoder in uncorrelated environments. Finally, we proposed a precoder based on knowledge of the correlation matrix and studied the possibility of removing the return link thanks to the knowledge of the channel statistiques based on the localization in the tunnel.

Marine mammals breeding in sympatry use resources differently depending on their time-activity budgets and prey distribution. We measured isotopic values and patterns of δ15N and δ13C in keratinous whiskers of satellite-tagged adult female Antarctic (Arctocephalus gazella) - and Subantarctic (Arctocephalus tropicalis) fur seals from three colonies at Marion Island in the Southern Indian Ocean. The three sympatric colonies were Mixed Pickle (HD_MP), Rockhopper Bay (LD_RhB), and Watertunnel (HD_WT). A comparison between two colonies of differing A. tropicalis densities will also be investigated. We investigated resource use in breeding mature females over varying time and spatial scales during summer and winter. The aim was to understand the variation in resource and habitat use at population and individual levels. The whiskers of A. gazella and A. tropicalis grow constantly at a rate of 0.16 ± 0.05 day-1 and 0.12 ± 0.05 day-1, respectively. To compare and relate behaviours, the stable isotope data and satellite tracks were grouped into winter and summer (pooled for 2010 - 2014). In summer, A. gazella from HD_WT had a larger isotopic niche width (0.85 ± 0.67‰2) compared to A. tropicalis from both HD_MP (0.18 ± 0.19‰2) and LD_RhB (0.21 ± 0.15‰2). However, the isotopic niche width of A. gazella reduced in size by more than half (0.40 ± 0.40‰2) during winter when the mature females were no longer constrained by the lactation mandate. The mean δ15N values in whiskers of both A. tropicalis and A. gazella in summer were similar (11.3 ± 0.4‰ and 11.0 ± 0.9‰, respectively). The A. gazella broadens its’ isotopic niche feeding at different trophic levels in summer (lactation period). We used a Repeatability index (R) to assess levels of intra- and inter-individual consistency. Repeatability indicated that the bigger isotopic niche width for A. gazella is attributed to high inter- and intra-individual variability in their resource use. The A. gazella individuals ranging closer to the colony consistently consumed myctophid fish. Other individuals foraged on low 15N content euphausiids (i.e., Euphausia spp. and Thysanoessa spp.) south of Marion Island in both winter and summer. The A. tropicalis from LD_RhB were repeatable in their δ15N values (trophic level) (Rglobal = 0.63; [95% CI: 0.29 – 0.80]) and δ13C values (habitat) (Rglobal = 0.69; [95% CI: 0.35 – 0.84]). At HD_MP, the A. tropicalis colony, diet was moderately repeatable (Rglobal = 0.33; [95% CI: 0.11 – 0.51]) while habitat was repeatable (Rglobal = 0.58; [95% CI: 0.33 – 0.73]). Consistency in diet (Rglobal = 0.27; [95% CI: 0.08 – 0.44] and foraging habitat (Rglobal = 0.45; [95% CI: 0.21 – 0.63] was moderate at HD_WT, the A. gazella colony. The diet varied with habitat at the individual level, across seasons. Segregation in diet and foraging habitat minimises resource-use overlap between sympatric fur seals. The behaviour of A. gazella from HD_WT (a high-density colony) might have a direct or indirect impact on the A. tropicalis from LD_RhB (a low-density colony) (i.e., competitive exclusion). Seasonality, at-sea movement, and intrinsic factors shaped the foraging behaviour and diet of adult female fur seals breeding at Marion Island. Some breeding mature females changed diets between seasons and depending on foraging habitat. / Dissertation (MSc (Zoology))--University of Pretoria, 2021. / NRF, Grantholder linked / Zoology and Entomology / MSc (Zoology) / Unrestricted

A promising energy harvesting technique involves the use of thermal nanofluids, capable of collecting solar UV/visible radiation and storing it as latent heat in phase change materials (PCM), i.e. molten salts. Carbon-based materials are very interesting candidates for UV/visible light absorption and heat transfer in the nanofluid. The crucial point of the development is the stabilisation of dispersed carbon in a suspension. This works is an investigation on the preparation of stabilized suspensions of carbon black, mesophase carbon beads or exfoliated graphite, in aqueous solutions. To achieve this goal, chemical modifications of the surface functional groups of the carbon grains have been attempted. Carbon has many allotropes in which it can exist such as diamond, graphite and amorphous carbon. None of these forms a stable suspension in water without a proper surface treatment. The first priority of this study was to identify possible surface treatments that would modify the surface complex on the carbon materials. Once the treatments had been identified, the focus of the study moved to selecting the most effective treatment based on its dispersion properties. The temperature ranges under which the carbon material remained in a suspension were measured. Finally, the effect of the surface area of the treated carbon material on the stability of the carbon material suspension was investigated. The characterisation techniques that contributed to achieving these objectives were observations with the naked eye, mass spectrometer measurements, thermogravimetric analysis, BET and scanning electron microscope images. The mass spectrometer and scanning electron microscope provided information on the modification of the surface complexes to gain an understanding of the effect of the treatment on the surface of carbon materials. The stability of the carbon and water suspension was measured by using the mass spectrometer and doing a thermogravimetric analysis. The BET results indicated the size of the specific surface area. The size of the surface area could assist in understanding of the stability of the carbon and water suspension. Following an analysis of the results, the researcher reached the following conclusions: First, acid treatments with a concentration of 1 molar for the duration of a minimum of 4 days modify the surface complexes of the carbon black. Second, the treatment with the most stable dispersion properties is the potassium permanganate and nitric acid treatment, which is the only treatment that formed a stable suspension. Carbon materials with a smaller surface area than the treated carbon black does not form a stable suspension, even though they have similar surface complexes. The stable dispersion remains stable only up to 250 ºC. Higher temperatures cause the carbon material to start decomposing, when the carbon surface complexes are broken and released. / Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2018. / Chemical Engineering / MEng / Unrestricted

The Térapa fossil vertebrate site, northcentral Sonora, Mexico, provides a rare opportunity to study the paleoenvironmental conditions present in northwestern Mexico during mid-Oxygen Isotope Stage (OIS) 3. Ostracode faunal assemblages and stable oxygen (δ18O) and stable carbon (δ13C) isotope values from ostracode calcite were used to reconstruct the seasonality of precipitation and vegetation cover at Térapa at 40-43 ka. The ostracode fauna was a non-analogue mix of temperate and tropical ostracode species composed of 13 species from 12 genera. The nearctic ostracodes Fabaeformiscandona caudata, Physocypria pustulosa, Cypridopsis vidua and the cosmopolitan ostracode Darwinula stevensoni dominate the assemblage. Two tropical ostracode genera, Chlamydotheca arcuata and Stenocypris sp., were present throughout the deposit and indicate that mean monthly summer temperatures were probably no more than 4°C to 6°C cooler than at present, based on available ecological information. Winter precipitation dominated the hydrologic cycle as evidenced by low ostracode δ18O values (-6‰ to -8‰ VPDB). Low ostracode δ13C values (-7‰ to -8‰ VPDB) suggest that local vegetation was dominated by C3 plants. A previous tooth enamel-based paleoenvironmental reconstruction at the same site favored a summer-dominated or evaporative hydrology and abundant C4 vegetation. The Térapa megafauna site exemplifies the need for multi-indicator paleoclimate reconstructions in desert environments where marked differences in the seasonality of precipitation and vegetation cover may occur.

A set S of vertices in a graph G is a connected dominating set of G if S dominates G and the subgraph induced by S is connected. We study the graphs for which adding any edge does not change the connected domination number.

A set S of vertices in a graph G is a total dominating set if every vertex of G is adjacent to some vertex in S. The minimum cardinality of a total dominating set of G is the total domination number of G. A graph is total domination edge addition stable if the addition of an arbitrary edge has no effect on the total domination number. In this paper, we characterize total domination edge addition stable graphs. We determine a sharp upper bound on the total domination number of total domination edge addition stable graphs, and we determine which combinations of order and total domination number are attainable. We finish this work with an investigation of claw-free total domination edge addition stable graphs.

No description available.

Three different methods were developed to evaluate nutritional status: stable isotopes, near infra-red reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS), and microbial populations. In the first method, hair samples were collected, analyzed, stable isotope content greatly differed (P < 0.01) between pre- and post-weaning samples. The second method used NIRS spectral patterns and analyzed fecal samples, and a difference was found around 2100 to 2250 nm where diets containing milk showed a peak, and non-milk diets showed a plateau. Finally, the third method involved profiling microbial populations from fecal samples as calves experienced dietary shifts. Total anaerobes, enterics, and clostridium were different (P<0.05) from pre to post-weaning states. Total anaerobe samples differed (P < 0.005) from milk, milk-grain diets to grain and grain-hay diets. Total aerobes, streptococci, and clostridium samples differed (P <0.001) from the milk diet to the other diets. In summary, all three methods showed differences when comparing pre- to post-weaning states.

Stemflow creates biogeochemical hotspots at tree bases. Few studies examine bark structure effects on stemflow generation via stable isotopes. Stemflow volume and isotopic composition (δD, δ18O) were measured over 15 months to address three main objectives: to determine origins and pathways of stemflow, to identify differences in stemflow generation mechanisms between tree species, and to identify differences in stemflow generation mechanisms between meteorological events. Laser ablation spectroscopy showed that, compared to throughfall and precipitation, stemflow was isotopically enriched, signifying isotopic fractionation. A bark-wetting experiment showed bark water storage capacity to be greatest in species with thick, continuous bark. Isotopic composition of precipitation was significantly more enriched in convective storms compared to that of continental or oceanic origin. Therefore, isotopic fractionation of stemflow and stemflow generation mechanisms vary from that of throughfall and precipitation, by interspecific differences in bark, and by meteorological event, potentially influencing existing canopy water storage models.

The material remains of ancient Egypt provide extensive and wide ranging data about the empire throughout its history. However, little evidence is available from ancient Egypt, or any past culture, with which to rebuild an image of social identity or individual experiences. This is especially problematic when the dominant narrative ignores experiences of minorities and minimizes the variation existing throughout the empire. Stable isotope analysis has the potential to reveal variability in lived experience of past peoples by acting as a proxy for behavior that can be analyzed from bone. Such an approach has been applied on individuals from the Romano-Christian Kellis 2 cemetery in the Dakhleh Oasis to explore diversity of lived experiences in relation to age, sex, and gender. Analysis of stable carbon and nitrogen values from bone collagen of 138 adults revealed a predominately C3 plant based diet with the addition of some animal protein. Statistical analysis of these values uncovered discernable differences in the values of young males and older adults which may suggest differences in the biological experiences of these groups and unique social experiences for those individuals. These findings offer a starting point with which to explore social organization at this site and others in ancient Egypt and the methods provide a useful approach to exploring individual experience in the past in ways not possible from other sources.