Frequency-dependence characterization of electromagnetic reverberation in indoor scenarios based on 1-40 GHz channel measurements

A novel model for the reverberation time is proposed in this letter, based on room electromagnetics theory. While the commonly used models consider absorption based on a constant rate of wall interactions within a given time, the proposed model takes the variance of interactions into account. Moreover, the frequency dependence of electromagnetic reverberation characteristics in indoor environments is experimentally investigated from 1 to 40 GHz. The reverberation time is found to be a decreasing function of frequency. A model is then developed to predict the room & x0027;s quality factor, reverberation time, and average absorption coefficient. Good agreement is obtained with the limited results reported in the literature for similar scenarios. This approach aims to be an accurate alternative to the reverberation time measurements and computations in indoor environments by linking it to the theory of electromagnetic fields in cavities

MIMO in tunnel : impact of polarization and array orientation on the channel characteristics

Polarimetric characteristics of the propagation channel in a straight tunnel and in a frequency band around 1.3 GHz, are deduced from measurements using a real-time MIMO channel sounder. Emphasis is on the cross-polarization discrimination factor and, for a MIMO configuration, on the correlation between transmitting and receiving array elements, depending on the array orientation and on the polarization of the transmitting elements

Indoor wireless communications and applications

Chapter 3 addresses challenges in radio link and system design in indoor scenarios. Given the fact that most human activities take place in indoor environments, the need for supporting ubiquitous indoor data connectivity and location/tracking service becomes even more important than in the previous decades. Specific technical challenges addressed in this section are(i), modelling complex indoor radio channels for effective antenna deployment, (ii), potential of millimeter-wave (mm-wave) radios for supporting higher data rates, and (iii), feasible indoor localisation and tracking techniques, which are summarised in three dedicated sections of this chapter

Channel sounding and indoor radio channel characteristics in the W-band

This work presents directional radio channel measurements in the W-band using a commercial versatile channel sounder based on a vector network analyzer (VNA), capable of measuring scattering parameters from 75 to 500 GHz with frequency converters. The commercial setup has been modified by increasing the distance for one of the converters using precision coaxial cables and avoiding the use of amplifiers. Firstly, initial distance-dependent single-input single-output (SISO) measurements of indoor radio channels are presented to assess the validity of the setup in the 75 110 GHz frequency band with highly directive horn antennas. Then, single-input multiple-output (SIMO) radio channels were measured at 94 GHz using one directional and one omnidirectional antenna mounted on two positioners. Initial channel characterization is presented comprising root mean square (rms) delay spread, rms angular spread, K-factor, and path loss in an indoor environment at 94 GHz.This work was supported by MINECO, Spain (TEC2013-47360-C3-2-P TEC2013-47360-C3-3-P) and by European FEDER funds.Martínez Inglés, M.; Gaillot, D.; Pascual-García, J.; Molina-García-Pardo, JM.; Rodriguez Rodriguez, JV.; Rubio Arjona, L.; Juan Llacer, L. (2016). Channel sounding and indoor radio channel characteristics in the W-band. EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking. 30:1-8. doi:10.1186/s13638-016-0530-7S1830D Zico, Ultra-wideband and 60 GHz communications for biomedical applications. Springer. http://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-1-4614-8896-5 .L Jofre, J Romeu, S Capdevila, J Abril, E Nova, M Alonso, The “challenging” world of Terahertz radiation and imaging. Proceedings of the 5th European Conference on Antennas and Propagation (EUCAP), 2011, pp. 3470–3475M Kawase, “Non-destructive evaluation method of pharmaceutical tablet by terahertz-time-domain spectroscopy: application to sound-alike medicines”, J. Infrared Millimeter Terahertz Waves, 34(9), 566–571KD Anderson, 94 GHz propagation in the evaporation duct. IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag. 38(5), 746–753 (1990)K Aydin, Y-M Lure, Millimeter wave scattering and propagation in rain: a computational study at 94 and 140 GHz for oblate spheroidal and spherical raindrops. IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens. 29(1), 593–601 (1991)C Gloaguen, An experiment for propagation studies at 94 GHz. Eighth Int. Conf. Antennas Propagation 1, 406–409 (1993)A Kajiwara, “Indoor propagation measurements at 94 GHz,” personal, indoor and mobile radio communications, 1995. Sixth IEEE Int. Symp PIMRC’95. Wireless Merging Inf. Superhighway 3, 1026 (1995)J Helminger, J Detlefsen, H Groll, Propagation properties of an indoor-channel at 94 GHz. Int. Conf. Microw Millimeter Wave Technol.Proc 98, 9–14 (1998)R Piesiewicz, R Geise, M Jacob, J Jemai, T Kurner, “Indoor channel measurements of point-to-point ultra broadband short range links between 75 GHz and 110 GHz”, in International Symposium Antennas and Propagation Society, 2008, pp. 1–4A Brizzi, A Pellegrini, Y Hao, “Experimental characterization of the propagation on the human torso at W band”, in Radio Science Meeting (Joint with AP-S Symposium), USNC-URSI, 2013, p. 39K Haneda, J Järveläinen, A Karttunen, M Kyro, J Putkonen, Indoor short-range radio propagation measurements At 60 and 70 GHz, in EuCAP 2014, The Hague, The Netherlands, 2014, pp. 1–4S Promwong, J Takada, Free space link budget estimation scheme for ultra wideband impulse radio with imperfect antennas. IEICE Electronics Express 1(7), 188–192 (2004)NL Johnson, S Kotz, N Balakrishnan, Continuous univariate distributions, vol. 1 (Wiley-Interscience, Hoboken, 1993)A Richter, Estimation of radio channel parameters: models and algorithms (Dr.-Ing. dissertation, TU Ilmenau, Ilmenau, Germany, 2005

Genetic landscape of 6089 inherited retinal dystrophies affected cases in Spain and their therapeutic and extended epidemiological implications

Inherited retinal diseases (IRDs), defined by dysfunction or progressive loss of photoreceptors, are disorders characterized by elevated heterogeneity, both at the clinical and genetic levels. Our main goal was to address the genetic landscape of IRD in the largest cohort of Spanish patients reported to date. A retrospective hospital-based cross-sectional study was carried out on 6089 IRD affected individuals (from 4403 unrelated families), referred for genetic testing from all the Spanish autonomous communities. Clinical, demographic and familiar data were collected from each patient, including family pedigree, age of appearance of visual symptoms, presence of any systemic findings and geographical origin. Genetic studies were performed to the 3951 families with available DNA using different molecular techniques. Overall, 53.2% (2100/3951) of the studied families were genetically characterized, and 1549 different likely causative variants in 142 genes were identified. The most common phenotype encountered is retinitis pigmentosa (RP) (55.6% of families, 2447/4403). The most recurrently mutated genes were PRPH2, ABCA4 and RS1 in autosomal dominant (AD), autosomal recessive (AR) and X-linked (XL) NON-RP cases, respectively; RHO, USH2A and RPGR in AD, AR and XL for non-syndromic RP; and USH2A and MYO7A in syndromic IRD. Pathogenic variants c.3386G > T (p.Arg1129Leu) in ABCA4 and c.2276G > T (p.Cys759Phe) in USH2A were the most frequent variants identified. Our study provides the general landscape for IRD in Spain, reporting the largest cohort ever presented. Our results have important implications for genetic diagnosis, counselling and new therapeutic strategies to both the Spanish population and other related populations.This work was supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) of the Spanish Ministry of Health (FIS; PI16/00425 and PI19/00321), Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER, 06/07/0036), IIS-FJD BioBank (PT13/0010/0012), Comunidad de Madrid (CAM, RAREGenomics Project, B2017/BMD-3721), European Regional Development Fund (FEDER), the Organización Nacional de Ciegos Españoles (ONCE), Fundación Ramón Areces, Fundación Conchita Rábago and the University Chair UAM-IIS-FJD of Genomic Medicine. Irene Perea-Romero is supported by a PhD fellowship from the predoctoral Program from ISCIII (FI17/00192). Ionut F. Iancu is supported by a grant from the Comunidad de Madrid (CAM, PEJ-2017-AI/BMD7256). Marta del Pozo-Valero is supported by a PhD grant from the Fundación Conchita Rábago. Berta Almoguera is supported by a Juan Rodes program from ISCIII (JR17/00020). Pablo Minguez is supported by a Miguel Servet program from ISCIII (CP16/00116). Marta Corton is supported by a Miguel Servet program from ISCIII (CPII17/00006). The funders played no role in study design, data collection, data analysis, manuscript preparation and/or publication decisions

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

Impacts of the Tropical Pacific/Indian Oceans on the Seasonal Cycle of the West African Monsoon

The current consensus is that drought has developed in the Sahel during the second half of the twentieth century as a result of remote effects of oceanic anomalies amplified by local land–atmosphere interactions. This paper focuses on the impacts of oceanic anomalies upon West African climate and specifically aims to identify those from SST anomalies in the Pacific/Indian Oceans during spring and summer seasons, when they were significant. Idealized sensitivity experiments are performed with four atmospheric general circulation models (AGCMs). The prescribed SST patterns used in the AGCMs are based on the leading mode of covariability between SST anomalies over the Pacific/Indian Oceans and summer rainfall over West Africa. The results show that such oceanic anomalies in the Pacific/Indian Ocean lead to a northward shift of an anomalous dry belt from the Gulf of Guinea to the Sahel as the season advances. In the Sahel, the magnitude of rainfall anomalies is comparable to that obtained by other authors using SST anomalies confined to the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean. The mechanism connecting the Pacific/Indian SST anomalies with West African rainfall has a strong seasonal cycle. In spring (May and June), anomalous subsidence develops over both the Maritime Continent and the equatorial Atlantic in response to the enhanced equatorial heating. Precipitation increases over continental West Africa in association with stronger zonal convergence of moisture. In addition, precipitation decreases over the Gulf of Guinea. During the monsoon peak (July and August), the SST anomalies move westward over the equatorial Pacific and the two regions where subsidence occurred earlier in the seasons merge over West Africa. The monsoon weakens and rainfall decreases over the Sahel, especially in August.Peer reviewe