140 research outputs found
Space-Time Phase Coupling in STMM-based Wireless Communications
Space-time modulated metasurfaces (STMMs) are a recently proposed
generalization of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces, which include a proper
time-varying phase at the metasurface elements, enabling higher flexibility and
control of the reflected signals. The spatial component can be designed to
control the direction of reflection, while the temporal one can be adjusted to
change the frequency of the reflected signal or to convey information. However,
the coupling between the spatial and temporal phases at the STMM can adversely
affect its performance. Therefore, this paper analyzes the system parameters
that affect the space-time coupling. Furthermore, two methods for space-time
decoupling are investigated. Numerical results highlight the effectiveness of
the proposed decoupling methods and reveal that the space-time phase coupling
increases with the bandwidth of the temporal phase, the size of the STMM, and
with grazing angles of incidence onto the STMM.Comment: 6 page
Hyperacusis in children: a preliminary study on the effects of hypersensitivity to sound on speech and language
There is a growing awareness that children may experience hyperacusis, a condition that is often associated with behavioral and developmental disorders. This preliminary study was aimed to investigate the effects of hyperacusis alone on various components of speech and language in children without developmental disorders. This study was conducted on 109 children aged between 4 and 7 years attending kindergarten and primary school. Hyperacusis was assessed through behavioral observation of children and questionnaires for parents. Different components of speech and language were assessed through specific tests. Hyperacusis was diagnosed in fifteen children (13.8%); ten (66.7%) were attending primary school and five (33.3%) kindergarten. A significant difference between children with and without hyperacusis was found for tests evaluating the average number of words in a sentence and phonemic fluency; older children appeared to have more difficulties. Several differences in education profiles were found: parents of children with hyperacusis spent less time with their children compared to parents of children without hyperacusis. Our preliminary results suggest some difficulties in lexical access and the use of shorter sentences by children with hypersensitivity to sound; however, the small size of our sample and the largely unknown interactions between hyperacusis and developmental disorders suggest caution when interpreting these results. Further studies on larger samples are necessary to gain additional knowledge on the effects of hyperacusis on speech and language in children without developmental disorders
Nonlinear absorption and gain in InGaAs/GaAs quantum wells
We present a detailed study of the excitonic nonlinearities in InGaAs/GaAs multiple quantum wells based on both stationary and transient pump-and-probe transmission spectroscopy. Bleaching of the excitonic resonance and free carrier gain have been observed. A quantitative analysis of the observed nonlinearity is provided by means of a rigorous solution of the Bethe–Salpeter equation for the investigated heterostructures
CTX-M-15 Type Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase-Producing Enterobacter cloacae In Bioaerosol of a Municipal Solid Waste Recycling Plant: A New Possible Reservoir of Infection?
Background: Although there are many reports of antibiotic resistant microorganisms
released from the treated municipal wastewater, less attention has been given to
other waste treatment activities. We report the occurrence of antibiotic resistant
strains isolated from the working setting of a solid waste recycling plant in Italy
which serves 195 municipalities.
Methods: To assess microbial contamination levels, several sampling points were
chosen for their relevance in evaluating exposure of the workers to biological
risk, especially during indoor operations. Active sampling was carried out using
the Surface Air System and Rodac plate method was applied to surface sampling.
Species identification and antimicrobial susceptibilities were obtained by Vitek2
System (bioMérieux, France) and by the agar-diffusion method. The presence of
resistance genes was investigated by multiplex PCR assay.
Results: In all sampling points a significant contamination of aerosol was detected,
although the total microbial counts resulted within the limit proposed by the
National authority (10000 CFU/sqm). The counts of Enterobacteriaceae were
always above the limit of 100 CFU/sqm and strains of Enterobacter cloacae resistant
to third generation cephalosporins were detected, carrying the blaCTX-M15 gene.
Conclusions: The contamination of workplace with multidrug-resistant strains is
a crucial area for public health actions to avoid the conjunction of factors that
promote evolution and spread of antibiotic resistance
Comparative treatments of a green tattoo ink with Ruby, Nd: YAG nano- and picosecond lasers in normal and array mode
The tattoos removal has become an issue upon spread of the tattooing practice worldwide and
hindsight regrets. Lasers are typically used for the purpose, though some colours such as green are
considered “recalcitrant” to the treatment. In the current investigation, we aim at determining the
efcacy of removal of a green ink water dispersion, using 5 laser treatments: Nd:YAG nano- and
picosecond lasers in normal and array mode and Ruby nanosecond laser, keeping the total irradiated
energy constant. The UV–Vis spectroscopy of the treated samples indicate that Nd:YAG picosecond
laser is most efective, and the Ruby nanosecond laser is the least efcient. Fragment compounds
generated from the pigment and siloxanes are common to all treatments, whereas hydrocarbon
emerge by a larger amount upon Nd:YAG nanosecond treatment. Fibres are formed upon picosecond
treatments and when operating in array mode, and lamellae are achieved by Ruby nanosecond laser
treatment. Residual particles suspensions are very heterogeneous upon nanosecond treatments
Cooperative Coherent Multistatic Imaging and Phase Synchronization in Networked Sensing
Coherent multistatic radio imaging represents a pivotal opportunity for
forthcoming wireless networks, which involves distributed nodes cooperating to
achieve accurate sensing resolution and robustness. This paper delves into
cooperative coherent imaging for vehicular radar networks. Herein, multiple
radar-equipped vehicles cooperate to improve collective sensing capabilities
and address the fundamental issue of distinguishing weak targets in close
proximity to strong ones, a critical challenge for vulnerable road users
protection. We prove the significant benefits of cooperative coherent imaging
in the considered automotive scenario in terms of both probability of correct
detection, evaluated considering several system parameters, as well as
resolution capabilities, showcased by a dedicated experimental campaign wherein
the collaboration between two vehicles enables the detection of the legs of a
pedestrian close to a parked car. Moreover, as \textit{coherent} processing of
several sensors' data requires very tight accuracy on clock synchronization and
sensor's positioning -- referred to as \textit{phase synchronization} -- (such
that to predict sensor-target distances up to a fraction of the carrier
wavelength), we present a general three-step cooperative multistatic phase
synchronization procedure, detailing the required information exchange among
vehicles in the specific automotive radar context and assessing its feasibility
and performance by hybrid Cram\'er-Rao bound.Comment: 13 page
Observation of single phonon-mediated quantum transport in a silicon single-electron CMOS transistor by RMS noise analysis
We explore phonon-mediated quantum transport through electronic noise
characterization of a commercial CMOS transistor. The device behaves as a
single electron transistor thanks to a single impurity atom in the channel. A
low noise cryogenic CMOS transimpedance amplifier is exploited to perform
low-frequency noise characterization down to the single electron, single donor
and single phonon regime simultaneously, not otherwise visible through standard
stability diagrams. Single electron tunneling as well as phonon-mediated
features emerges in rms-noise measurements. Phonons are emitted at high
frequency by generation-recombination phenomena by the impurity atom. The
phonon decay is correlated to a Lorentzian noise at low frequency.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, submitted to AP
Motion Estimation and Compensation in Automotive MIMO SAR
With the advent of self-driving vehicles, autonomous driving systems will
have to rely on a vast number of heterogeneous sensors to perform dynamic
perception of the surrounding environment. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)
systems increase the resolution of conventional mass-market radars by
exploiting the vehicle's ego-motion, requiring a very accurate knowledge of the
trajectory, usually not compatible with automotive-grade navigation systems. In
this regard, this paper deals with the analysis, estimation and compensation of
trajectory estimation errors in automotive SAR systems, proposing a complete
residual motion estimation and compensation workflow. We start by defining the
geometry of the acquisition and the basic processing steps of Multiple-Input
Multiple-Output (MIMO) SAR systems. Then, we analytically derive the effects of
typical motion errors in automotive SAR imaging. Based on the derived models,
the procedure is detailed, outlining the guidelines for its practical
implementation. We show the effectiveness of the proposed technique by means of
experimental data gathered by a 77 GHz radar mounted in a forward looking
configuration.Comment: 14 page
Amorphous WO3 as transparent conductive oxide in the near-IR
The demand for transparent conductive films (TCFs) is dramatically increasing. In this work tungsten oxide (WO3-x) is studied as a possible option additional to the existed TCFs. We introduce WO3-x thin films fabricated by a non-reactive magnetron RF-sputtering process at room temperature, followed by thermal annealing in dry air. Films are characterized morphologically, structurally, electrically, optically, and dielectrically. Amorphous WO3-x thin films are shown to be ntype conductive while the transparency extends to the near-IR. By evaluating a figure of merit for transparent-conductive performance and comparing to some most-widely used TCFs, WO3-x turns out to outperform in the near-IR optical range
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