Coverage Improvements for Sub-Terahertz Systems Under Shadowing Conditions, Journal of Telecommunications and Information Technology, 2023, nr 3

Radio propagation in the millimeter wave and sub-terahertz domain is heavily affected by shadowing conditions. The communication link is blocked without any additional technical means being used. Coverage improvements can be provided by using reflectors, RIS arrays, and repeaters to direct radio waves around corners or obstacles. These concepts show different performance and complexity levels affecting their network deployment. This paper investigates the achievable radio range or the received power to compare specific deployment concepts under realistic propagation conditions. Overall, the repeater solution provides either the largest radio range or the lowest necessary total transmit power compared to reflectors or RIS arrays and, thereby, is the most sustainable approach. A RIS array requires an additional centralized signal processing capacity for calculating optimized RIS settings and results in the highest level of network deployment complexity

Is decoupling GDP growth from environmental impact possible?

© 2016 Ward et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. The argument that human society can decouple economic growth-defined as growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP)-from growth in environmental impacts is appealing. If such decoupling is possible, it means that GDP growth is a sustainable societal goal. Here we show that the decoupling concept can be interpreted using an easily understood model of economic growth and environmental impact. The simple model is compared to historical data and modelled projections to demonstrate that growth in GDP ultimately cannot be decoupled from growth in material and energy use. It is therefore misleading to develop growth-oriented policy around the expectation that decoupling is possible. We also note that GDP is increasingly seen as a poor proxy for societal wellbeing. GDP growth is therefore a questionable societal goal. Society can sustainably improve wellbeing, including the wellbeing of its natural assets, but only by discarding GDP growth as the goal in favor of more comprehensive measures of societal wellbeing

Effects of grass species and grass growth on atmospheric nitrogen deposition to a bog ecosystem surrounded by intensive agricultural land use

We applied a N-15 dilution technique called Integrated Total Nitrogen Input (ITNI) to quantify annual atmospheric N input into a peatland surrounded by intensive agricultural practices over a 2-year period. Grass species and grass growth effects on atmospheric N deposition were investigated using Lolium multiflorum and Eriophorum vaginatum and different levels of added N resulting in increased biomass production. Plant biomass production was positively correlated with atmospheric N uptake (up to 102.7mg N pot(-1)) when using Lolium multiflorum. In contrast, atmospheric N deposition to Eriophorum vaginatum did not show a clear dependency to produced biomass and ranged from 81.9 to 138.2mgNpot(-1). Both species revealed a relationship between atmospheric N input and total biomass N contents. Airborne N deposition varied from about 24 to 55kgNha(-1)yr(-1). Partitioning of airborne N within the monitor system differed such that most of the deposited N was found in roots of Eriophorum vaginatum while the highest share was allocated in aboveground biomass of Lolium multiflorum. Compared to other approaches determining atmospheric N deposition, ITNI showed highest airborne N input and an up to fivefold exceedance of the ecosystem-specific critical load of 5-10kgNha(-1)yr(-1).Peer reviewe

NeSC – NewSpace Communications

Im Rahmen des derzeit stark wachsenden kommerziellen NewSpace-Sektors werden neue Kommunikationssysteme entwickelt – sogenannte „Non-Terrestrial Networks“ (NTN), welche zunehmend auf NewSpace Communications (NeSC)-Systemansätzen basieren. Diese sollen die existierenden terrestrischen Mobilfunk- und leitungsgebundenen Netze zur Sprach-, Video- und Datenkommunikation ergänzen, und damit globale Verfügbarkeit und Omnipräsenz ermöglichen. Die Kombination aus terrestrischen und satellitengestützten Systemen wird die Zuverlässigkeit und räumliche Verfügbarkeit von Kommunikationssystemen insgesamt maßgeblich erhöhen. Als satellitengestützte Kommunikationsplattformen werden hierzu in erster Linie Satelliten-Mega-Constellations (MC) im niedrigen Erdorbit (LEO) entwickelt. Aber auch weiterentwickelte geostationäre Systeme (sog. Very High Throughput Satellites, VHTS) und stratosphärische Träger (High Altitude Platform Systems – HAPS) dienen als Kommunikationsknoten. Eine Vernetzung von Systemen in verschiedenen Orbits bzw. Flughöhen bietet dabei weitere Vorteile, wie z.B. die Kombination von hoher Abdeckung und Sichtbarkeit mit günstigen Linkdistanzen und Frequenzwiederverwendbarkeit. Satellitensysteme können auch mit terrestrischen Kommunikationsnetzen integriert werden. Die Versorgung großer und unterversorgter Gebiete mit Satellitenkommunikation bietet technische und finanzielle Vorteile. Dagegen ist es technisch nicht möglich, die Bevölkerung bzw. Nutzer eines Ballungsgebiets mit Hochgeschwindigkeits-Datendiensten ausschließlich mit LEO-MC basierten Systemen zu versorgen. Die fortschreitende Erweiterung der Nutzung von öffentlichen Kommunikationsnetzen einschließlich NTN-Systemen durch die Digitalisierung von Gesellschaft, Staat und Wirtschaft, von persönlich-kommerziellen auf sicherheitsrelevante Bedarfe für Infrastruktur und Versorgung (wie Energie, Wasser, Bahn, PKW, Gütertransport, Flugverkehr oder behördliche Kommunikation) ist zwingend und uneingeschränkt resilient zu gestalten. Hier bieten weltraumgestützte Netze den großen Vorteil eines weiteren parallelen Kommunikationswegs, um absichtlichen Manipulationen und Störungen auszuweichen. Allerdings ergibt sich in Zusammenhang mit LEO-basierten Satellitennetzen das Risiko, dass es durch die stark zunehmende Anzahl mit Tausenden von kostengünstigen LEO-MC-Satelliten in den knappen Erdumlaufbahnen zu Kollisionen kommt und funktionsuntüchtige Satelliten nicht gezielt aus dem Orbit entfernt werden. Dies kann die institutionelle (Erdbeobachtung, wissenschaftliche Erprobung, Sicherheit) wie auch die astronautische Raumfahrt gefährden. Eine Abhängigkeit Deutschlands und Europas von nicht-europäischen weltraumgestützten und im Wesentlichen kommerziellen Diensten und Systemen sollte bei NeSC vermieden werden, da sie zu den kritischen Infrastrukturen zählen. Die ausschließliche Nutzung und ggf. gar Förderung der technischen und weltraumrechtlichen Entwicklungen aus dem asiatischen und amerikanischen Raum darf für Deutschland und für die EU keine Option sein. Somit benötigt Europa zur Verbesserung der technologischen Souveränität eine eigene weltraum- und stratosphärengestützte Infrastruktur für Anwendungen wie die Ergänzung terrestrischer öffentlicher und privater Kommunikationsinfrastruktur, Anwendungen des globalen Internet-of-Things (IoT), Grenzüberwachung und Sicherung globaler Aufklärungskapazitäten. Die Erfahrungen der ersten Generation von LEO-MCs wie die Wahl ungünstiger Orbits bezüglich der Kollisionsrisiken trotz wirtschaftlicher Vorteile müssen dabei berücksichtigt werden. Mithin kann der zeitverzögerte deutsche und europäische Einstieg in diesem Sinne Vorteile bieten. Wir zeigen in diesem Positionspapier die Eigenschaften und technischen Randbedingungen von NeSC-Systemen auf, beschreiben aktuelle Systemlösungen und Marktteilnehmer, Chancen und Herausforderungen der NeSC-Konzepte und geben abschließend Handlungsempfehlungen für Forschung, Entwicklung und Realisierung von NeSC-Systemen

Reanalysis of single-cell RNA sequencing data does not support herpes simplex virus 1 latency in non-neuronal ganglionic cells in mice

Most individuals are latently infected with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), and it is well-established that HSV-1 establishes latency in sensory neurons of peripheral ganglia. However, it was recently proposed that latent HSV-1 is also present in immune cells recovered from the ganglia of experimentally infected mice. Here, we reanalyzed the single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq) data that formed the basis for that conclusion. Unexpectedly, off-target priming in 3’ scRNA-Seq experiments enabled the detection of non-polyadenylated HSV-1 latency-associated transcript (LAT) intronic RNAs. However, LAT reads were near-exclusively detected in mixed populations of cells undergoing cell death. Specific loss of HSV-1 LAT and neuronal transcripts during quality control filtering indicated widespread destruction of neurons, supporting the presence of contaminating cell-free RNA in other cells following tissue processing. In conclusion, the reported detection of latent HSV-1 in non-neuronal cells is best explained using compromised scRNA-Seq datasets. IMPORTANCE Most people are infected with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) during their life. Once infected, the virus generally remains in a latent (silent) state, hiding within the neurons of peripheral ganglia. Periodic reactivation (reawakening) of the virus may cause fresh diseases such as cold sores. A recent study using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq) proposed that HSV-1 can also establish latency in the immune cells of mice, challenging existing dogma. We reanalyzed the data from that study and identified several flaws in the methodologies and analyses performed that invalidate the published conclusions. Specifically, we showed that the methodologies used resulted in widespread destruction of neurons which resulted in the presence of contaminants that confound the data analysis. We thus conclude that there remains little to no evidence for HSV-1 latency in immune cells.</p

Talking to the dead in the classroom. How a supposedly psychic event impacts beliefs and feelings

Paranormal beliefs (PBs) are common in adults. There are numerous psychological correlates of PBs and associated theories, yet, we do not know whether such correlates reinforce or result from PBs. To understand causality, we developed an experimental design in which participants experience supposedly paranormal events. Thus, we can test an event’s impact on PBs and PB-associated correlates (Mohr, Lesaffre, & Kuhn, 2018). Here, 419 naïve students saw a performer making contact with a confederate’s deceased kin. We tested participants’ opinions and feelings about this performance, and whether these predicted how participants explain the performance. We assessed participants’ PBs and repetition avoidance (PB related cognitive correlate) before and after the performance. Afterwards, participants rated explanations of the event and described their opinions and feelings (open-ended question). Overall, 65% of participants reported having witnessed a genuine paranormal event. The open-ended question revealed distinct opinion and affect groups, with reactions commonly characterized by doubt and mixed feelings. Importantly, paranormal explanations were more likely when participants reported their feelings than when not reported. Beyond these results, we replicated that 1) higher pre-existing PBs were associated with more psychic explanations (confirmation bias), and 2) PBs and repetition avoidance did not change from before to after the performance. Yet, PBs reminiscent of the actual performance (spiritualism) increased

Science Impacts of the SPHEREx All-Sky Optical to Near-Infrared Spectral Survey: Report of a Community Workshop Examining Extragalactic, Galactic, Stellar and Planetary Science

SPHEREx is a proposed SMEX mission selected for Phase A. SPHEREx will carry out the first all-sky spectral survey and provide for every 6.2" pixel a spectra between 0.75 and 4.18 $\mu$m [with R$\sim$41.4] and 4.18 and 5.00 $\mu$m [with R$\sim$135]. The SPHEREx team has proposed three specific science investigations to be carried out with this unique data set: cosmic inflation, interstellar and circumstellar ices, and the extra-galactic background light. It is readily apparent, however, that many other questions in astrophysics and planetary sciences could be addressed with the SPHEREx data. The SPHEREx team convened a community workshop in February 2016, with the intent of enlisting the aid of a larger group of scientists in defining these questions. This paper summarizes the rich and varied menu of investigations that was laid out. It includes studies of the composition of main belt and Trojan/Greek asteroids; mapping the zodiacal light with unprecedented spatial and spectral resolution; identifying and studying very low-metallicity stars; improving stellar parameters in order to better characterize transiting exoplanets; studying aliphatic and aromatic carbon-bearing molecules in the interstellar medium; mapping star formation rates in nearby galaxies; determining the redshift of clusters of galaxies; identifying high redshift quasars over the full sky; and providing a NIR spectrum for most eROSITA X-ray sources. All of these investigations, and others not listed here, can be carried out with the nominal all-sky spectra to be produced by SPHEREx. In addition, the workshop defined enhanced data products and user tools which would facilitate some of these scientific studies. Finally, the workshop noted the high degrees of synergy between SPHEREx and a number of other current or forthcoming programs, including JWST, WFIRST, Euclid, GAIA, K2/Kepler, TESS, eROSITA and LSST.Comment: Report of the First SPHEREx Community Workshop, http://spherex.caltech.edu/Workshop.html , 84 pages, 28 figure

Cross-cultural development of an abridged job insecurity measure

Using four samples from the United States and China, we developed two theoretically based abridged job insecurity (JI) scales to address researcher concerns with the length of the original 57-item scale. These two scales contained all the components of the scale originally developed and validated by Ashford et al., 1989 . Our abridged scale has 37 items (18 items for job features, 16 items for total job, and 3 items for powerlessness). We further developed a bare-bones scale with only 25 items (10 items for job features, 12 items for total job, and 3 items for powerlessness). Results show that the content and construct validities of both the abridged and the bare-bones scales are highly similar to the original JI scale. Our results provide support for the use of either the abridged or the bare-bones JI scales. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/58078/1/513_ftp.pd