DECIPHERING THE ARRANGEMENT OF DUST IN THE CLUMPY TORI OF ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI

In the framework of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), a galaxy’s supermassive black hole is surrounded by a dusty torus whose clumpy configuration allows for either direct or obscured views toward the central engine. Viewing AGNs from different angles gives rise to a variety of AGN classifications; for example, the generic Type 1 AGN class requires the detection of optically broad emission lines, which arise from quickly moving material within the torus, whereas Type 2 AGNs lack these observations. While these viewing angles are not directly observable, synthetic torus models generated with CLUMPY provide a means to determine them along with other parameters that describe the nature and characteristics of the torus in general. Employing CLUMPY models with mid-infrared spectroscopic observations of a large sample of both Type 1 and Type 2 AGNs allows us to acquire a further understanding of the clumpy torus structure and its viewing angles

Snus: a compelling harm reduction alternative to cigarettes

Snus is an oral smokeless tobacco product which is usually placed behind the upper lip, either in a loose form or in portioned sachets, and is primarily used in Sweden and Norway. The purpose of this review is to examine the reported effects of snus use in relation to specified health effects, namely lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, pancreatic cancer, diabetes, oral cancer and non-neoplastic oral disease. The review also examines the harm reduction potential of snus as an alternative to cigarettes by comparing the prevalence of snus use and cigarette smoking, and the reported incidence of tobacco-related diseases across European Union countries. The scientific literature generally indicates that the use of snus is not a significant risk factor for developing lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, pancreatic cancer or oral cancer. Studies investigating snus use and diabetes have reported that high consumption of snus (estimated as being four or more cans per week) may be associated with a higher risk of developing diabetes or components of metabolic syndrome; however, overall results are not conclusive. Snus use is associated with the presence of non-neoplastic oral mucosal lesions which are reported to heal rapidly once use has stopped. The most recent Eurobarometer data from 2017 reported that Sweden had the lowest prevalence of daily cigarette use in the European Union at 5% whilst daily “oral tobacco” use was reported to be 20%. European data published by the World Health Organisation in 2018 indicated that Sweden had the lowest rate of tobacco-related mortality and the lowest incidence of male lung cancer. Overall, prevalence statistics and epidemiological data indicate that the use of snus confers a significant harm reduction benefit which is reflected in the comparatively low levels of tobacco-related disease in Sweden when compared with the rest of Europe. The available scientific data, including long-term population studies conducted by independent bodies, demonstrates that the health risks associated with snus are considerably lower than those associated with cigarette smoking

Performance of Spatial Modulation using Measured Real-World Channels

In this paper, for the first time real-world channel measurements are used to analyse the performance of spatial modulation (SM), where a full analysis of the average bit error rate performance (ABER) of SM using measured urban correlated and uncorrelated Rayleigh fading channels is provided. The channel measurements are taken from an outdoor urban multiple input multiple output (MIMO) measurement campaign. Moreover, ABER performance results using simulated Rayleigh fading channels are provided and compared with a derived analytical bound for the ABER of SM, and the ABER results for SM using the measured urban channels. The ABER results using the measured urban channels validate the derived analytical bound and the ABER results using the simulated channels. Finally, the ABER of SM is compared with the performance of spatial multiplexing (SMX) using the measured urban channels for small and large scale MIMO. It is shown that SM offers nearly the same or a slightly better performance than SMX for small scale MIMO. However, SM offers large reduction in ABER for large scale MIMO.Comment: IEEE Vehicular Technology Conference Fall 2013 (VTC-Fall 2013), Accepte