Rate splitting in MIMO RIS-assisted systems with hardware impairments and improper signaling

In this paper, we propose an optimization framework for rate splitting (RS) techniques in multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)-assisted systems, possibly with I/Q imbalance (IQI). This framework can be applied to any optimization problem in which the objective and/or constraints are linear functions of the rates and/or transmit covariance matrices. Such problems include minimum-weighted and weighted-sum rate maximization, total power minimization for a target rate, minimum-weighted energy efficiency (EE) and global EE maximization. The framework may be applied to any interference-limited system with hardware impairments. For the sake of illustration, we consider a multicell MIMO RIS-assisted broadcast channel (BC) in which the base stations (BSs) and/or the users may suffer from IQI. Since IQI generates improper noise, we consider improper Gaussian signaling (IGS) as an interference-management technique that can additionally compensate for IQI. We show that RS when combined with IGS can substantially improve the spectral and energy efficiency of overloaded networks (i.e., when the number of users per cell is larger than the number of transmit/receive antennas).The work of Ignacio Santamaria has been partly supported by the project ADELE PID2019-104958RB-C43, funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. The work of Eduard Jorswieck was supported in part by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF, Germany) in the program of “Souver¨an. Digital. Vernetzt.” joint project 6G-RIC, project identification number: 16KISK020K and 16KISK031

Comparison of UAS and Sentinel-2 Multispectral Imagery for Water Quality Monitoring: A Case Study for Acid Mine Drainage Affected Areas (SW Spain)

Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) and satellites are used for monitoring and assessing the quality of surface waters. Combining both sensors in a joint tool may scale local water quality retrieval models to regional and global scales by translating UAS-based models to satellite imagery. The main objective of this study is to examine whether Sentinel-2 (S2) data can complement UAS data, specifically from the MicaSense RedEdge MX-Dual sensor, for inland water quality monitoring in mining environments affected by acid mine drainage (AMD). For this purpose, a comparison between UAS reflectance maps and atmospherically corrected S2 imagery was performed. S2 data were processed with Case 2 Regional Coast Colour (C2RCC) and Case 2 Regional Coast Colour for Complex waters (C2X) atmospheric correction (AC) processors. The correlation between the UAS data and the atmospherically corrected S2 data was evaluated on a band-by-band and a pixel-by-pixel basis, and the compatibility of the spectral data was analyzed through statistical methods. The results showed C2RCC and C2X performed better for acidic greenish-blue and non-acidic greenish-brown water bodies concerning the UAS data than for acidic dark reddish-brown waters. However, significant differences in reflectance between the UAS sensor and both S2 AC processors have been detected. The poor agreement between sensors should be considered when combining data from both instruments since these could have further consequences in developing multi-scale modelsThis study was supported in part by the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree (EMJMD) in Water and Coastal Management (WACOMA) with the contribution of the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union. This work was also supported by Plan Andaluz de Investigación RNM 166 Environmental radioactivity research group (LB) and partially by the FEDER UHU2020-21 Project. UAS equipment from University of Cádiz Drone Service was supported by MINECO infrastructure projects (EQC2018-00446-P and UNCA-2013-1969). MDB thanks the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation for the Postdoctoral Fellowship granted under application reference IJC2018-035056-I. This research was also funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, the Spanish State Research Agency, the European Regional Development Fund MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 (Sen2Coast Project; RTI 2018-098784-J-I00), and the Consejería de Transformación Económica, Industria, Conocimiento y Universidades from Andalusian Government through the Andalusian FEDER operational program 2014-2020 (A1123060E0_PYC20 RE 032 UHU) and the call 2020 for collaborative interest projects in the field of the Innovation Ecosystems of the International Excellence Centers). We thank to Tharsis Mining & Metallurgy for allowing us to collect the samples in the abandoned mining areas that belong to the company since 2018. The authors also gratefully acknowledge the support of the Guest Editor, the Assistant Editor and the three anonymous reviewers for their comments and positive criticisms, which notably improved the quality of the original pape

Nuclear effects in electron reactions and their impact on neutrino processes

We suggest that superscaling in electroweak interactions with nuclei, namely the observation that the reduced electron-nucleus cross sections are to a large degree independent of the momentum transfer and of the nuclear species, can be used as a tool to obtain precise predictions for neutrino-nucleus cross sections in both charged and neutral current-induced processes.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, proceedings of NUINT09, 6th International Workshop of Neutrino-Nucleus Interactions in the Few-Gev Region, Sitges (Spain), May 18-22, 200

High sensitive cardiac troponin T in the management of uncertain chest pain

©2013. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ This document is the Accepted version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in International Journal of Cardiology. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcard.2013.05.01

Prevalence of Depression and Related Factors among Patients with Chronic Disease during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The management of chronic diseases in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic is especially challenging, and reducing potential psychological harm is essential. This review aims to determine the prevalence of depression during the COVID-19 pandemic in patients with chronic disease, and to characterize the impacts of related factors. A systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The meta-analysis was performed using StatsDirect software. The review identified 33 articles with a total of 50,905 patients with chronic diseases. Four meta-analyses were performed to estimate the prevalence of depression. In diabetic patients, the prevalence ranged from 17% (95% CI = 7–31) (PHQ-9) to 33% (95% CI = 16–51) (PHQ-8); in obese patients, the prevalence was 48% (95% CI = 26–71); and in hypertensive patients, the prevalence was 18% (95% CI = 13–24). The factors significantly associated with depression were female sex, being single, deterioration in the clinical parameters of diabetes, a decrease in self-care behavior, reduced physical activity and sleep time and fear of contagion. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly increased levels of depression among persons with chronic disease. Pandemics and other emergency events have a major impact on mental health, so early psychological interventions and health management policies are needed to reinforce chronic patients’ physical and mental health

Neutrino Interactions Importance for Nuclear Physics

We review the general interplay between Nuclear Physics and neutrino-nucleus cross sections at intermediate and high energies. The effects of different reaction mechanisms over the neutrino observables are illustrated with examples in calculations using several nuclear models and ingredients.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of 6th International Workshop on Neutrino-Nucleus Interactions in the Few-GeV Region (NuInt09), Sitges, Spain, 18 - 22 May 200

Bryozoans from Chella Bank (Seco de los Olivos), with the description 7 of a new species and some new records for the Mediterranean Sea

Chella Bank (also known as Seco de los Olivos seamount) is a volcanic submarine elevation (76–700 m deep) located ca. 16 km off the southern coast of Spain, within the Alboran Sea, in the Atlantic-Mediterranean transition zone. It represents a biodiversity hotspot for Europe, with more than 600 species listed to date, and contains several habitats included in the EU Habitats Directive. During three ship-based expeditions, several areas of Chella Bank were surveyed and sampled in a depth range of 95–729 m, resulting in new records that improve our knowledge on poorly studied phyla, such as bryozoans. In 14 of the 21 samples examined during this study, 43 bryozoan taxa could be identified. Among these, one species is described as new to science (Buskea medwaves sp. nov.) and three other ones are reported for the first time from the Mediterranean Sea, namely Terminoflustra barleei (Busk, 1860), Marguetta pulchra Jullien in Jullien & Calvet, 1903, and Schizomavella (Schizomavella) linearis profunda Harmelin & d’Hondt, 1992a. Some species were abundant in the samples, such as Adeonellopsis distoma (Busk, 1859), B. medwaves sp. nov., Entalophoroecia cf. deflexa, and Reteporella pelecanus López de la Cuadra & García-Gómez, 2001. The highest species richness was detected in rhodolith beds and on coral rubble bottoms (especially exposed above the sediments) compared with other bottom types and habitats such as sandy bottoms and muddy bottoms. The finding highlights the importance of these environments for bryozoans.En prens

Análisis de bacterias y levaduras sobre su capacidad biocontroladora

El presente trabajo tuvo como objetivo la evaluación de la actividad de Biocontrol, incluyendo la concentración mínima inhibitoria, de 8 cepas distintas, 4 bacterias y 4 levaduras, sobre 3 hongos fitopatógenos: Fusarium sp., Penicilum sp. y Alternaria sp., además de la evaluación de la capacidad de fijación de nitrógeno e hidrólisis de fosfatos de las 8 cepas y su capacidad de hidrólisis de quitina. Se observaron 17 instancias distintas donde alguna de las 8 cepas presento actividad de Biocontrol sobre alguno de los 3 hongos, dónde se observó que todas las cepas mostraron capacidad de inhibir a Alternaria sp., 5 a Penicilum sp., y 4 a Fusarium sp. Además, se observaron 6 instancias de cepas presentando la capacidad de hidrolizar fosfatos, alcanzado halos desde 0.04 hasta 0.15 cm en placas Petri, según la cepa que fuera evaluada. No se observó en ninguna de las cepas la capacidad de fijar nitrógeno ni de hidrolizar quitina, aunque esto último podría deberse a errores de metodología y no a la capacidad de las cepas. Las concentraciones mínimas de cepa para observar la inhibición variaron dependiendo de la cepa; la menor observada en las pruebas en sólido fue 5.00E+04 UFC/mL en el caso de la inhibición de Alternaria sp. por Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, mientras que en líquido se observó una inhibición de Fusarium sp. por Enterobacter bugandensis a una concentración mínima de 2.73E+03 UFC/mL.ITESO, A.C

Infrared Constraints on AGN Tori Models

This work focuses on the properties of dusty tori in active galactic nuclei (AGN) derived from the comparison of SDSS type 1 quasars with mid-Infrared (MIR) counterparts and a new, detailed torus model. The infrared data were taken by the Spitzer Wide-area InfraRed Extragalactic (SWIRE) Survey. Basic model parameters are constraint, such as the density law of the graphite and silicate grains, the torus size and its opening angle. A whole variety of optical depths is supported. The favoured models are those with decreasing density with distance from the centre, while there is no clear tendency as to the covering factor, ie small, medium and large covering factors are almost equally distributed. Based on the models that better describe the observed SEDs, properties such as the accretion luminosity, the mass of dust, the inner to outer radius ratio and the hydrogen column density are computed.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, to appear in "Infrared Diagnostics of Galaxy Evolution", ASP Conference Series, Pasadena, 14-16 November 200