Journal articles on the topic 'Cross Link Interference (CLI)'

In this paper, we propose a novel interference alignment (IA) technique for an in-band full-duplex (IBFD) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) cellular network where a base station (BS) and user equipment (UE) are equipped with multiple antennas, and the local channel state information (CSI) is available at all nodes. Considering a practical IBFD MIMO cellular network, it is assumed that only the BS operates with full-duplex (FD) communication while UE operate in half-duplex (HD) mode. These IBFD networks introduce a new type of interference called cross-link interference (CLI), in which uplink UE affects downlink UE. The proposed IA technique consists of two symmetric IA schemes according to the number of antennas in the uplink and downlink UE, and both schemes effectively mitigate CLI in the IBFD MIMO network. It is worth noting that both IA schemes are adaptively applicable according to the network’s quality-of-service (QoS) requirements, such as uplink and downlink traffic demands. Furthermore, we theoretically characterize and prove the achievable sum-degrees-of-freedom (DoF) of the proposed IA technique. Simulation results show that the proposed IA technique significantly improves the sum rate performance compared to conventional HD communications (multi-user MIMO) while achieving the same achievable DoF as the interference-free IBFD MIMO network.

Tor is a popular privacy-enhancing technology that allows anonymous communication using onion routing. However, such technologies are only helpful if used; therefore, performance is an important aspect. One of the main performance bottlenecks of Tor is the cross-circuit interference (CCI) problem. Tor multiplexes multiple circuits over a single Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.2 connection if they share a path segment (link). Therefore, they have the same congestion window, which can yield unfair bandwidth allocation. However, there has been little work in understanding this problem in more depth. This paper investigates the number of simultaneously shared links in the current Tor network, which are the root cause of CCI. We developed a novel shared links simulator called SALSA to investigate this problem. Our results show that 3.7 % of active links are shared, and the involving Onion Routers (ORs) have the most common bandwidth capabilities. Additionally, we show that the internal circuits and exit policy influence the CCI problem. Furthermore, we model the number of shared links when the demand grows further and show that the number of shared links can go up to 16 %. Finally, we run Shadow simulations with a 25 % down-scaled Tor network and show that a network without shared links is faster.

Although all bilinguals encounter cross-language interference (CLI), some bilinguals are more susceptible to interference than others. Here, we report on language performance of late bilinguals (Russian/German) on two bilingual tasks (interview, verbal fluency), their language use and switching habits. The only between-group difference was CLI: one group consistently produced significantly more errors of CLI on both tasks than the other (thereby replicating our findings from a bilingual picture naming task). This striking group difference in language control ability can only be explained by differences in cognitive control, not in language proficiency or language mode.

The performance of multiple input multiple output (MIMO) wireless networks is limited mainly by concurrent interference among sensor nodes. Effective link scheduling algorithms with the technology of successive interference cancellation (SIC) can maximize throughput in MIMO wireless networks. Most previous works on link scheduling in MIMO wireless networks did not consider SIC. In this paper, we propose a MIMO-SIC (MSIC) algorithm under the SINR model. First, a mathematical framework is established for the cross-layer optimization of routing and scheduling, with constraints of traffic balance and link capacity. Second, the interference regions are divided to characterize the level of interference between links. Finally, we propose a distributed link scheduling algorithm based on MSIC to eliminate the interference between competing links in the MIMO network. Experimental results show that the MSIC algorithm can increase the end-to-end throughput per unit by approximately 73% on average compared with non-SIC algorithms.

Abstract The ability of serum factors to cross-link labeled mouse monoclonal antibody (mAb) of irrelevant specificity (mAb FN61, subclass IgG1) to different particle types coated with sheep IgG, bovine gamma-globulin, or mAb FN61 was measured simultaneously by flow cytometry. Significant interference with mAb FN61-coated particles was detected in 53 of 101 sera. Of the 30 sera showing the most pronounced interference, 23 were characterized by an even stronger cross-linking to particles coated with bovine gamma-globulin. These were designated type 1 sera. Seven sera, designated type 2, displayed a dominant interference with the mAb FN61-coated particles. The interference reaction in the two serum types was characterized by different kinetics, dependence on particle concentration, and response to blocking agents. The interference was minimized by addition of 500 micrograms of bovine gamma-globulin and 50 micrograms of mAb HH1 (IgG1) of irrelevant specificity per 10 microL of serum sample in a final assay volume of 100 microL.

Road crack detection is one of the important issues in the field of traffic safety and urban planning. Currently, road damage varies in type and scale, and often has different sizes and depths, making the detection task more challenging. To address this problem, we propose a Cross-Attention-guided Feature Alignment Network (CAFANet) for extracting and integrating multi-scale features of road damage. Firstly, we use a dual-branch visual encoder model with the same structure but different patch sizes (one large patch and one small patch) to extract multi-level damage features. We utilize a Cross-Layer Interaction (CLI) module to establish interaction between the corresponding layers of the two branches, combining their unique feature extraction capability and contextual understanding. Secondly, we employ a Feature Alignment Block (FAB) to align the features from different levels or branches in terms of semantics and spatial aspects, which significantly improves the CAFANet’s perception of the damage regions, reduces background interference, and achieves more precise detection and segmentation of damage. Finally, we adopt multi-layer convolutional segmentation heads to obtain high-resolution feature maps. To validate the effectiveness of our approach, we conduct experiments on the public CRACK500 dataset and compare it with other mainstream methods. Experimental results demonstrate that CAFANet achieves excellent performance in road crack detection tasks, which exhibits significant improvements in terms of F1 score and accuracy, with an F1 score of 73.22% and an accuracy of 96.78%.

Recently, there have been some research works in the design of cross-layer protocols for cognitive radio (CR) networks, where the Protocol Model is used to model the radio interference. In this paper we consider a multihop multi-channel CR network. We use a more realisticSignal-to-Interference-plus-Noise Ratio (SINR)model for radio interference and study the following cross-layer throughput optimization problem: (1) Given a set of secondary users with random but fixed location, and a set of traffic flows, what is the max-min achievable throughput? (2) To achieve the optimum, how to choose the set of active links, how to assign the channels to each active link, and how to route the flows? To the end, we present a formal mathematical formulation with the objective of maximizing the minimum end-to-end flow throughput. Since the formulation is in the forms ofmixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP), which is generally a hard problem, we develop a heuristic method by solving a relaxation of the original problem, followed by rounding and simple local optimization. Simulation results show that the heuristic approach performs very well, that is, the solutions obtained by the heuristic are very close to the global optimum obtained via LINGO.

Long Term Evolution has developed a new radio technology called femtocell or Femto Base station, which is well-suited to improve cellular network capacity and mobile coverage to indoor user's areas. Providing additional capacity and coverage expansion through FBSs could lead to large interference in a cellular radio communication network. In this paper, we proposed an efficient resource allocation scheme based on Fraction Frequency Reuse (FFR) for interference mitigation, where the entire spectrum is shared among network entities. FFR mechanism aims to reduce co-tier and cross-tier downlink interferences by allocating non-overlapping sets of bands to the user equipment at different geographic locations. The main purpose of this work is to compare two main types of FFR schemes, respectively, Strict FFR and Soft Frequency Reuse with the proposed scheme. The three types of FFR schemes were explained and evaluated with Monte-Carlo simulation based on some performance metrics, namely, sum-rate, spectral efficiency, and outage probability. Simulation results showed that the impacts of the proposed scheme are significantly high in comparison with two other methods. The proposed scheme proved to enhance spectral efficiency, reduced the outage probability, and increased the sum rate for all the users.

A single bidirectional link is used to allow communication between two devices in the device-todevice (D2D) communication system. D2D technology has to implement with the current cellular system. As both users D2D and cellular use the same licensed spectrum for transmission the chances of interferences increases. It is challenging for researchers to find out the proper mechanism to decrease interference and maximize performances. In this paper, we try to survey the challenges and their solutions to enable D2D communication in the cellular network with low interference. Here we describe the peer discover, mode selection process and interference management with power control and resource allocation. Finally, we can say that with proper power control, spectrum slicing and resource allocation we can mitigate co-tier and cross-tier interferences.

Network lifetime is a critical metric in the design of energy-constrained wireless sensor networks. In this paper, we consider the joint cross layer optimization of the physical layer, medium access control layer and routing layer to maximize network lifetime of a multi-sources and single-sink wireless sensor network with energy constraints. We focus on synchronous small-scale sensor network with interference-free link scheduling and practical MPSK link transmission scheme. As the network lifetime maximization problem is a constrained non-convex optimization problem that is difficult to be solved, and the particle swarm optimization algorithm is a good intelligent algorithm, we employ it to solve the problem mentioned above effectively in this paper. The penalty function technique is brought in to work out the constrained optimization problem by converting it to an unconstrained optimization problem. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in energy saving and network lifetime maximization, and the particle swarm optimization can solve the network lifetime maximization problem fast and efficiently.

To address the problem of unreliable single-link underwater acoustic communication caused by large signal delays and strong multipath effects in shallow water environments, this paper proposes a distributed underwater acoustic diversity communication system (DUA-DCS). DUA-DCS employs a maneuverable distributed cross-medium buoy network to form multiple distributed, non-coherent, and parallel communication links. In the uplink, a receiving diversity processing mechanism of joint decision feedback equalizer embedded phase-locked loop and maximum signal-to-interference ratio combining (DFE-PLL-MSIRC) is proposed to achieve waveform-level diversity combining of underwater signals. A phase-locked loop module is embedded in each branch of the decision feedback equalizer to eliminate the residual frequency and phase errors after Doppler compensation. Meanwhile, the combining coefficients are determined based on the maximum signal-to-interference ratio criterion, taking into account the residual inter-symbol interference after equalization, resulting in efficient and accurate computation. Additionally, the combined decision values are fed back to the feedback filters in each branch to ensure more accurate feedback output. Simulation and lake experiment results demonstrate that, compared to the single-link communication system, DFE-PLL-MSIRC can achieve a diversity gain of more than 5.2 dB and obtain about 3 dB more diversity gain than the comparison algorithm. And the BER of DFE-PLL-MSIRC can be reduced by at least one order of magnitude, which is lower by at least 0.6 order of magnitude compared to the comparison algorithm. In the downlink, a transmitting diversity processing mechanism of complex orthogonal space-time block coding (COSTBC) is proposed. By utilizing a newly designed generalized complex orthogonal transmission matrix, complete transmission diversity can be achieved at the coding rate of 3/4. Compared to the single-link communication system, the system can achieve a diversity gain of more than 6 dB.

In modern command and measurement systems (CMS), phase-shift keyed signals are widespread, which, with relatively simple methods of formation, have a low level of side lobes of the autocorrelation function (ACF). Also, in recent years, a number of studies have been carried out on the implementation of the principle of constructing the CMS, based on the adaptation of processing algorithms to the properties of useful signals and interference. On the basis of this principle, an algorithm for adapting the CMS radio link has been developed, which makes it possible to analyze information channels at various speeds and automatically connect the selected channel, which is an urgent task for controlling low-orbit spacecraft. The article proposes a receiver scheme with parallel reception of several information channels with different information transfer rates. The analysis of autocorrelation and cross-correlation functions made it possible to conclude that the data obtained do not contradict the assumptions about the possibility of implementing an adaptive receiver with the choice of an information channel in terms of speed. It is shown that the use of such a receiving device with an algorithm for selecting and switching information channels according to the reception rate provides a significant gain in information transmission time in comparison with traditional reception and switching of speeds by commands in conditions of complex interference stop.

Werner syndrome (WS) is a human genetic disorder characterized by extensive clinical features of premature aging. Ataxia-telengiectasia (A-T) is a multisystem human genomic instability syndrome that includes premature aging in some of the patients. WRN and ATM, the proteins defective in WS and A-T, respectively, play significant roles in the maintenance of genomic stability and are involved in several DNA metabolic pathways. A role for WRN in DNA repair has been proposed; however, this study provides evidence that WRN is also involved in ATM pathway activation and in a S-phase checkpoint in cells exposed to DNA interstrand cross-link–induced double-strand breaks. Depletion of WRN in such cells by RNA interference results in an intra-S checkpoint defect, and interferes with activation of ATM as well as downstream phosphorylation of ATM target proteins. Treatment of cells under replication stress with the ATM kinase inhibitor KU 55933 results in a S-phase checkpoint defect similar to that observed in WRN shRNA cells. Moreover, γH2AX levels are higher in WRN shRNA cells than in control cells 6 and 16 h after exposure to psoralen DNA cross-links. These results suggest that WRN and ATM participate in a replication checkpoint response, in which WRN facilitates ATM activation in cells with psoralen DNA cross-link–induced collapsed replication forks.

The traditional cellular architecture where devices connect to their service base station (BS) may cause poor performance especially for edge users. Device-to-device (D2D) communication enables nearby user as a relay to help BS forward information, thereby improving the network coverage and quality of service (QoS) of edge users. This paper proposes a distance-based D2D matching mechanism for general cellular networks, where a relay user who successfully connects to its targeted BS can transmit data to its closest user for D2D communication. A link of BS to D2D pair contains two sublinks, which occur at different time phases in each cell. Assuming a nonsynchronous system, we consider that there exists cross-layer interference for D2D links. Based on the techniques of stochastic geometry, we develop the performance of coverage probability and ergodic rate of the D2D network. A key intermediate step in this analysis is the derivation of the interference expressions for D2D links caused by BSs and cochannel D2D users. Then, we derive the meta distribution of the signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) to capture the performance changes of individual links. Simulation results demonstrate that our matching mechanism based on the appropriate time resource allocation favors the edge users with a higher probability of successful communication and transmission rate.

Objective: To explore the mediating effect of loneliness on the relationship between pain interference and depressive symptoms and to determine whether this mechanism is contingent on employment status. Design: Cross-sectional study. Subjects: A total of 876 adult caregivers of adolescents living in extremely impoverished conditions. Analysis: Mediation and moderated mediation analyses using standard path-analytic approaches. Results: The mean age of the sample was 39.0 (SD = 12.8) years and 80.7% ( n = 707) identified as female. Almost half (48.9%, n = 425) of the participants did not report any pain, while 32.5% ( n = 285) reported non-disabling pain, and 19.0% ( n = 166) reported disabling pain. The mean depressive symptoms score was 16.20 (SD = 10.6), and the mean loneliness score was 40.09 (SD = 10.5). Loneliness mediated the effect of both non-disabling and disabling pain on depressive symptoms. However, the indirect effect of pain interference on depressive symptoms through loneliness was more pronounced among participants reporting disabling pain (coefficient, 2.11; Boot 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.25–3.01)) than non-disabling pain (coefficient, 0.99; Boot 95% CI (0.25–1.76)). Moderated mediation results showed that the indirect effect of pain interference on depressive symptoms, via loneliness varied in magnitude as a function of employment status among participants reporting disabling pain but not those reporting non-disabling pain. Conclusion: Loneliness provides an important link in the relationship between depressive symptoms and pain interference. Furthermore, employment status is an important factor to consider, especially among individuals reporting disabling pain with comorbid depressive symptoms.

To enable the full benefits from MU-MIMO (Multiuser-Multiple Input Multiple Output) and OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) to be achieved, the optimal use of these two technologies for a given set of network resources has been investigated in a rich body of literature. However, most of these studies have focused either on maximizing the performance of only one of these schemes, or have considered both but only for single-hop networks, in which the effect of the interference between nodes is relatively limited, thus causing the network performance to be overestimated. In addition, the heterogeneity of the nodes has not been sufficiently considered, and in particular, the joint use of OFDMA and MU-MIMO has been assumed to be always available at all nodes. In this paper, we propose a cross-layer optimization framework that considers both OFDMA and MU-MIMO for heterogeneous wireless networks. Not only does our model assume that the nodes have different capabilities, in terms of bandwidth and the number of antennas, but it also supports practical use cases in which nodes can support either OFDMA or MU-MIMO, or both at the same time. Our optimization model carefully takes into account the interactions between the key elements of the physical layer to the network layer. In addition, we consider multi-hop networks, and capture the complicated interference relationships between nodes as well as multi-path routing via multi-user transmissions. We formulate the proposed model as a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) problem, and initially model the case in which each node can selectively use either OFDMA or MU-MIMO; we then extend this to scenarios in which they are jointly used. As a case study, we apply the proposed model to sum-rate maximization and max–min fair allocation, and verify through MATLAB numerical evaluations that it can take appropriate advantage of each technology for a given set of network resources. Based on the optimization results, we also observe that when the two technologies are jointly used, more multi-user transmissions are enabled thanks to flexible resource allocation, meaning that greater use of the link capacity is achieved.

In recent years, drones have been used in a wide range of fields, such as agriculture, transportation of goods, and security. Drones equipped with communication facilities are expected to play an active role as base stations in areas where ground base stations are unavailable, such as disaster areas. In addition, asynchronous operation is being considered for local 5G, in order to support all kinds of use cases. In asynchronous operation, cross-link interference between base stations is an issue. This paper attempts to reduce the interference caused by the drone network by introducing circularly polarized antennas against the conventional system using linearly polarized antennas. Numerical analyses are conducted to validate the effectiveness of the proposed system, where Signal-to-Interference Ratios (SIRs) are shown to be improved significantly as the numerical evaluation results. Specifically, for the scenario of only access links, in the region where conventional antenna architecture can only achieve an SIR of less than 20 dB, our proposed system applying circularly polarized antennas can almost realize an SIR of more than 40 dB. Significant improvement can be also observed in the scenario with the existence of backhaul links, where the conventional system had difficulty achieving our system design goal SIR of 16.8 dB, while the proposed antenna architecture could easily attain this goal in most regions of our evaluation ranges.

Abstract Introduction Sleep disturbances are more prevalent in older adults. Both physical inactivity and pain have been linked to sleep disturbances in older adults, but the intricate interplay between these mechanisms is underexplored. This study investigates the associations between physical activity (PA) and sleep with both subjective and objective measures and the potential mediation of pain among community-dwelling older adults. Methods This cross-sectional study used baseline data of 125 community-dwelling older adults without dementia (Mean age = 70.45±6.18 years, 82.40% female, 57.60% White) who participated in a randomized controlled trial. PA and sleep were assessed objectively using ActiGraph Link and Actiwatch 2, and subjectively using Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Pain intensity, interference, and behavior were assessed using PROMIS Pain Scales. Multiple linear regressions examined associations between PA and sleep quality, and Baron and Kenny’s approach was used to explore the mediation of pain. Results Adjusted for age, sex, race, and comorbidities, higher PASE correlated with lower PSQI (β = -0.169, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: -0.284, -0.053). Pain intensity (indirect effect: -0.039, 95% CI: -0.078, -0.001), pain interference (indirect effect: -0.042, 95% CI: -0.082, -0.002), and pain behavior (indirect effect: -0.035, 95% CI: -0.071, -0.002) were significant mediators. Objective PA was associated with shorter sleep onset latency (SOL) and reduced wake after sleep onset. Specifically, the association between objective PA and SOL was partially mediated by pain intensity (indirect effect: -0.076, 95% CI: -0.173, 0.022). Pain interference and behavior mediated the relationships between objective PA and self-reported sleep quality (indirect effects: -0.022, 95% CI: -0.045, 0.001 for interference; -0.017, 95% CI: -0.037, 0.003 for behavior). Conclusion Our findings reinforce the association between PA and better sleep quality using both self-reported and objective measures and validate the mediation role of pain measures. These results suggested a critical role of pain in shaping the dynamics links between PA and sleep quality. Given the cross-sectional nature of our data, future longitudinal studies are necessary to further explore these findings. Support (if any) R00NR016484

Networks-on-chip are being regarded as a promising solution to meet the on-going requirement for higher and higher computation capacity. In view of future kilo-cores architectures, electrical wired connections are likely to become inefficient and alternative technologies are being widely investigated. Wireless communications on chip may be therefore leveraged to overcome the bottleneck of physical interconnections. This work deals with wireless networks-on-chip at optical frequencies, which can simplify the network layout and reduce the communication latency, easing the antenna on-chip integration process at the same time. On the other end, optical wireless communication on-chip can be limited by the heavy propagation losses and the possible cross-link interference. Assessment of the optical wireless network in terms of bit error probability and maximum communication range is here investigated through a multi-level approach. Manifold aspects, concurring to the final system performance, are simultaneously taken into account, like the antenna radiation properties, the data-rate of the core-to core communication, the geometrical and electromagnetic layout of the chip and the noise and interference level. Simulations results suggest that communication up to some hundreds of μm can be pursued provided that the antenna design and/or the target data-rate are carefully tailored to the actual layout of the chip.

The high altitude platform station (HAPS) system is an essential component of the air-based network. It can shorten transmission delay and make a better user experience compared with satellite networks, and it can also be easily deployed and cover a larger area compared with international mobile telecommunications (IMT). In order to meet the needs of users with asymmetric and random data flow, the spectrum sharing and dynamic time division duplexing (TDD) mode are used in HAPS-IMT heterogeneous network. However, the cross-link interference brought by TDD mode will lead to the degradation of system performance. In this paper, a resource allocation algorithm based on power control and dynamic transmission protocol configuration is proposed. Firstly, a specific timeslot, “low power almost-bank subframe (LP-ABS)”, is introduced into the frame structure of the HAPS physical layer. The transmission protocol designing could mitigate inter-layer interference efficiently by power control in “LP-ABS”. Secondly, the utilization function is adopted for assessing the system performance, which gives attention to both diversified requirements on the quality of services (QoS) and the throughput of the HAPS-IMT system. Simulation results show that power control and resource allocation technologies proposed in this paper can effectively improve system performance and user satisfaction.

Abstract: Currently, the utilization of WMSNs in different real-time and non-real-time applications requires an excessive amount of bandwidth for reliable data delivery. The unique features of WMSNs are significantly challenging in satisfying the QoS requirements in such application-specific environments and balancing the traffic load among the devices. The provision of reliable multipath routing is a cornerstone in fulfilling the QoS requirements of WMSNs. Selecting multiple optimal paths between a source and destination based on peculiar routing metrics enhances the performance of QoS routing. Generally, routing protocols exploit several routing metrics, such as delay, remaining energy of nodes, hop count, available bandwidth, and packet loss rate in path selection to attain high reliability in data delivery. Many existing routing protocols only consider the network layer parameters, whereas it lacks focus on the data link and physical layer parameters, which creates a severe impact on the degradation of QoS. In addition to that, varying bandwidth channels create interference in multimedia data delivery and degrade the network performance. Designing a multipath routing protocol by considering cross-layer parameters offer a promising solution to optimize the WMSN performance. In cross-layer design, diverse protocol layers support the routing decisions adaptively by perceiving the dynamic characteristics of the wireless medium, resulting in fair use of scarce resources with high QoS. A Cross-Layer Based QoS Aware Load-Balancing Multipath Routing Protocol over Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks was the goal of the study's five design objectives. The study and analysis of QoS and cross-layer-based routing algorithms for WMSNs was the initial goal. Secondly, a Deep Learning prioritization-based packet classifier to divide traffic according to priority. To ensure fair resource consumption and distribution of multimedia traffic, the third goal was to design and create a cross-layer optimizer model for optimal multiple disjoint route selection using machine learning techniques. The development of a cutting-edge channel-scheduling algorithm was goal four. It was designed to efficiently assign low-interference channels to communication devices in order to lower the packet drop rate in real-time packet delivery. Last but not least, a security method for Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks' Cross-Layer based multipath routing protocol.

Background: Domestic violence is referred as shadow pandemic because it is seen globally. Domestic violence abuse is usually considered a problem that requires involvement of police or social services and not a problem that requires dental interference, but it is important to take under consideration that other services may even not be approached by the victim due to various reasons6. However, they may approach a dentist for facial trauma.Hence it is important to understand awareness, attitude and behaviour of dentists towards domestic violence victim patients.Materials and Methods: in this cross-sectional study, a self- administered, structured questionnaire was sent to dentists practicing in central India. Collected data were subjected to statistical analysis using Chi-square test, and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Result: Mostly dentists were aware about and have heard about domestic violence in practice. As many as 37.6% dentist have encountered domestic violence victims in their practice but only 11.7% participants took any measures to record or report or refer DV victimsConclusion: As dental professionals are usually the first line of contact for patient with head and neck trauma,they would need to undergo special training to identify, support, and treat domestic violence patients.

In wireless networks, the radio link vulnerability attributed to effects such as noise, interference, free-space loss, shadowing and multipath fading, must be considered. MAC protocols developed for these networks do not take into account these perturbations. It was shown, in the literature, that 802.11 suffers from what is called 'the 802.11 anomaly'. This anomaly concerns two aspects: all nodes throughput, in a 802.11 network, falls to the worst one of all nodes and the bandwidth will be divided by the number of the mobile nodes of the network. In order to improve the quality of service of a BSS (Basic Service Set) and to solve 802.11 anomaly, Cross-layer approaches are developed. These approaches are especially based on information given by the Physical layer. In this study we propose a new cross-layer scheme: AMCLM (Adaptive Multi-services Cross-Layer MAC). The goal of this protocol is to improve the Quality-of-Service (QoS) of Mobile Nodes (MNs) connected in a BSS by a temporary disassociation of the ones for which the SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) is under a defined threshold. In this way, the network's throughput is improved. Our approach aims to improve global networks QoS by unselfishness decisions of nodes. In order to show the benefit of our method, a performance evaluation of this protocol has been made. We have built the discrete Markov Chain associated to the behavior of AMCLM protocol to analyze the throughput of mobile nodes connected to the BSS.

Three kinds of diamine monomers [ethylenediamine, butylenediamine and [Formula: see text]-phenylenediamine (PPD)] are adopted to cross-link carboxylated graphene (GP-COOH) sheets through filtration with a vacuum-assisted self-assembly technique, to fabricate highly conductive and excellent electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding films. XRD spectroscopy of cross-linked graphene films exhibits higher interlayer [Formula: see text]-spacing than the GP-COOH film. Results of FTIR and XPS spectroscopies indicate that diamine monomers are chemically grafted to the GP-COOH sheets through nucleophilic substitution reactions. Compared with that of the GP-COOH film, electrical conductivity of the PPD-cross-linked graphene film (GP-PPD) is remarkably improved from 69.7[Formula: see text]S/cm to 248.6[Formula: see text]S/cm, attributed to the decrease of junction contact resistance between adjacent graphene sheets, nitrogen doping effect and repair of defects. Higher nitrogen content and C/O ratio are observed in the XPS spectra of the GP-PPD film, leading to higher electrical conductivity than the remaining two amine-modified graphene films. The GP-PPD film also demonstrates excellent EMI shielding performance, with EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) of 26.5 dB at a thickness of 12.5[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m, which is also better than the others. The outstanding EMI performance of the PPD-cross-linked graphene film is mainly ascribed to the enhanced electrical conductivity and modified electronic structure with nitrogen doping.

Abstract This article scrutinises the logic behind the recent judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in Ruiz Zambrano and McCarthy focusing on their implications for the right to family reunification under EU law. Specific attention is devoted to the phenomenon of reverse discrimination in the context of the new jurisdiction test established by the Court, which is based on the severity of the Member States’ interference with EU citizenship rights rather than on a pure cross-border logic. EU citizens unable to establish a link with EU law are often subject to stricter family reunification requirements in comparison to their migrant compatriots and even certain third country nationals. It is argued that this situation is difficult to accept in light of the principles of legal certainty, equality and the protection of fundamental rights. A new balance between EU citizenship and Member States’ regulatory autonomy is established but legislative action is required to solve the outstanding problems.

Abstract The analytical performance of the Tandem®-R free PSA assay available from Hybritech Inc. was evaluated. Comparison of recoveries of purified free (unbound) prostate-specific antigen (PSA) diluted in female serum in the Tandem-R free PSA assay and the Tandem-R (total) PSA assay demonstrated a link in calibration between the assays and an accurate determination of percent free PSA. The cross-reactivity of the assay to purified PSA–α1-antichymotrypsin was determined to be &lt;1%. The minimum-detectable concentration was &lt;0.05 μg/L. The within-run and between-day CVs were ≤5% for samples with &gt;0.3 μg/L free PSA. Dilution and recovery showed no significant deviations from linearity across the assay range. The assay was insensitive to interference from blood components. The Tandem-R free PSA kit was shown to be an accurate, precise, and reliable assay for the measurement of free PSA.

Background: The pelvic floor has the function of supporting the pelvic viscera, sexual function, urinary and fecal continence, during pregnancy and childbirth, it allows the support and passage of the fetus. The failure of this musculature can cause urinary incontinence, which is defined as any involuntary loss of urine, which may generate social or hygienic discomfort for the patient. Aims: To investigate the prevalence of urinary incontinence in women over 18 years old, analysis of the degree of intimate selfknowledge and the interference of UI in quality of life. Method: Cross-sectional study of an investigative nature. A sociodemographic and PRAFAB questionnaire was used by Google Forms, through a link posted on social networks. Results: 62 women with an average age of 24.8 years participated, 77.4% had some level of urinary loss. Conclusion: Urinary incontinence was prevalent in young women, with no relationship between the severity of UI and the mode of delivery, but there are several factors that may be linked to this dysfunction.

Purpose: Postgraduate medical students or residents are candidates who gain rigorous specialized training in any field of medical science. The study attempted to explain how work-life fit and perceived social support minimize burnout in public hospital general surgery units. Method: Explanatory, cross-sectional, and quantitative research methods were employed. A questionnaire was administered to 120 respondents using purposive sampling. Besides reliability and validity testing, inferential statistics were used to evaluate data and test hypotheses. Principal Findings: Work-life fit and perceived social supports affect emotional tiredness in responders. However, perceived social support and emotional weariness outweigh work-family balance and emotional exhaustion. Burnout is predicted by the number of children, gender, work-life balance, work-life interference, and personal life interference. Implications: The current study helps us understand the process that affects the professional efficacy of medical professionals. Despite their high cognitive capacity, they were victims of depersonalization, emotional tiredness, and burnout. Therefore, it is crucial to successfully address surgeon burnout to enhance patient care. Novelty: The study has novel findings for exploring the link between work-life balance, social support, and burnout in the cultural settings of Pakistan. It was not comprehensively investigated in our traditional healthcare system which is lacking in internal and external rewards therefore a complete investigation of the matter is required. Thus, these findings will enrich scientific understanding to further study these topics.

We present a mobility-prediction and energy optimization solution for multi-channel multi-interface (MCMI) ad hoc networks in the presence of location errors. This solution includes routing of the MCMI communication links that adapt to dynamic channel, traffic conditions, interference and mobility of nodes. We start first with implementing a novel cross-layer routing solution in order to share information between network and MAC layer, the benefit of this technique is to collect information about the channel quality and residual energy of the nodes and send them directly to the network layer. Next, we present a mobility-prediction model using Kalman filter to predict accurate locations and enhance routing performance, through estimating link duration and selecting reliable routes. The performance of proposed mechanism is measured using NS2.35 simulations with different scenarios and varying load in a network. Comparative analysis of simulation results shows better performance of our protocol (ME-MCMI AODV) in terms of reducing end-to-end delay, total dropped packets and increasing network lifetime and packet delivery ratio (PDR).

Abstract. Long-term time series of the atmospheric composition are essential for environmental research and thus require compatible, multi-decadal monitoring activities. However, the current data quality objectives of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) for carbon monoxide (CO) in the atmosphere are very challenging to meet with the measurement techniques that have been used until recently. During the past few years, new spectroscopic techniques came on the market with promising properties for trace gas analytics. The current study compares three instruments that are recently commercially available (since 2011) with the up to now best available technique (vacuum UV fluorescence) and provides a link to previous comparison studies. The instruments were investigated for their performance regarding repeatability, reproducibility, drift, temperature dependence, water vapour interference and linearity. Finally, all instruments were examined during a short measurement campaign to assess their applicability for long-term field measurements. It could be shown that the new techniques provide a considerably better performance compared to previous techniques, although some issues such as temperature influence and cross sensitivities need further attention.

Hybrid precoding is an attractive technique in MU-MIMO systems with significantly reduced hardware costs. However, it still requires a complex analog network to connect the RF chains and antennas. In this paper, we develop a novel hybrid precoding structure for the downlink transmission with a compact RF structure. Specifically, the proposed structure relies on domestic connections instead of global connections to link RF chains and antennas. Fixed-degree phase shifters provide candidate signals, and simple on-off switches are used to route the signal to antennas, thus RF adders are no longer required. Baseband zero forcing and block diagonalization are used to cancel interference for single-antenna and multiple-antenna users, respectively. We formulate how to design the RF precoder by optimizing the probability distribution through cross-entropy minimization which originated in machine learning. To optimize the energy efficiency, we use the fractional programming technique and exploit the Dinkelbach method-based framework to optimize the number of active antennas. Simulation results show that proposed algorithms can yield significant advantages under different configurations.

This paper proposes a new technique to construct a hybrid zero cross-correlation (NZCC) based on multiple diagonal (MD) code for two-dimensional (2D) spectral amplitude coding for optical code division multiple access code division multiple access (SAC-OCDMA) systems. The proposed hybrid code eliminates totally the multiple access interference (MAI) between a large number of users and allows them to connect simultaneously via the optical communication link with a high speed to receive huge data and serve various areas such as Internet, telephony, DAB radio, digital audio broadcasting, and DVB video. Simulation results demonstrate that the performance of such a SAC-OCDA system based on novel 2D hybrid NZCC/MD code can be easily improved keeping a less complex structure using couplers for direct spectral/spatial dimension (SDD) detection and show superior bit error rate (BER) values comparing to previously developed two-dimensional codes including perfect difference (2D-PD), diagonal Eigen-value units (2D-DEU), multi-service (2D-MS) and balanced incomplete block design (2D-BIBD) codes.

Abstract. Long-term time series of the atmospheric composition are essential for environmental research and thus require compatible, multi-decadal monitoring activities. The current data quality objectives of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) for carbon monoxide (CO) in the atmosphere are very challenging to meet with the measurement techniques that have been used until recently. During the past few years, new spectroscopic techniques came to market with promising properties for trace gas analytics. The current study compares three instruments that have recently become commercially available (since 2011) with the best currently available technique (Vacuum UV Fluorescence) and provides a link to previous comparison studies. The instruments were investigated for their performance regarding repeatability, reproducibility, drift, temperature dependence, water vapour interference and linearity. Finally, all instruments were examined during a short measurement campaign to assess their applicability for long-term field measurements. It could be shown that the new techniques perform considerably better compared to previous techniques, although some issues, such as temperature influence and cross sensitivities, need further attention.

Abstract In this paper, a multi-band enabled femtocell base station (FCBS) and user equipment (UE) architecture is proposed in a multi-tier network that consists of small cells, including femtocells and picocells deployed over the coverage of a macrocell for splitting uplink and downlink (UL/DL) as well as control-plane and user-plane (C-/U-plane) for 5G mobile networks. Since splitting is performed at the same FCBS, we define this architecture as the same base station based split architecture (SBSA). For multiple bands, we consider co-channel (CC) microwave and different frequency (DF) 60 GHz millimeter wave (mmWave) bands for FCBSs and UEs with respect to the microwave band used by their over-laid macrocell base station. All femtocells are assumed to be deployed in a 3-dimensional multi-storage building. For CC microwave band, cross-tier CC interference of femtocells with macrocell is avoided using almost blank subframe based enhanced inter-cell interference coordination techniques. The co-existence of CC microwave and DF mmWave bands for SBSA on the same FCBS and UE is first studied to show their performance disparities in terms of system capacity and spectral efficiency in order to provide incentives for employing multiple bands at the same FCBS and UE and identify a suitable band for routing decoupled UL/DL or C-/U-plane traffic. We then present a number of disruptive architectural design alternatives of multi-band enabled SBSA for 5G mobile networks for UL/DL and C-/U-plane splitting, including a disruptive and complete splitting of UL/DL and C-/U-plane as well as a combined UL/DL and C-/U-plane splitting, by exploiting dual connectivity on CC microwave and DF mmWave bands. The outperformances of SBSA in terms of system level capacity, average spectral efficiency, energy efficiency, and control-plane overhead traffic capacity in comparison with different base stations based split architecture (DBSA) are shown. Finally, a number of technical and business perspectives as well as key research issues of SBSA are discussed.

We experimentally demonstrate radar remote imaging using a radio technique based on ultra-wideband chaotic signals over fiber links. The radar system includes three parts, i.e. a central station, some optical fiber links and a base station. At the central station, an ultra-wideband chaotic signal is generated from an improved Colpitts oscillator and then is up-converted as a probe signal. The probe signal is then converted to be in optical domain by the external modulation technique on laser diode for transmitting over a fiber link to a remote base station. At the base station, the probe signal is converted to be in electrical domain and then launched by a microwave antenna. After being received by another antenna, the echo signal from a target is converted to be in optical domain and then transmitted over a fiber link back to the central station. By optical-to-electrical conversion and down conversion, the echo chaotic signal is recovered. Utilizing the correlation method and back projection algorithm, an image of the target in the two-dimensional space can be realized at the central station. Our experiments successfully performed remote imaging for both planar and spherical reflectors with a distance over 10 km. The down-range resolution of 6-cm and 8-cm cross-range resolution were obtained, respectively. We will show that the power spectrum of the probe signal is adjustable in the spectral mask according to the Federal Communications Commission standards, therefore can avoid interference to the existing narrowband radio signals.

Homeschooling due to COVID-19 school closures is likely to increase conflict between work and family demands, potentially leading to adverse substance-use effects. We conducted a survey with 758 couples focusing on homeschooling, work–family conflict, and alcohol use (April 2020). The 211 homeschooling couples reported more work–family conflict than the 547 non-homeschooling couples; there also were stronger effects on family interference with work in women. Among the homeschooling couples, homeschooling hours were associated with greater partner drinking. In distinguishable dyad analyses by gender, women’s hours homeschooling were associated with greater drinking frequency by both parents. Men’s hours homeschooling were associated with lower drinking frequency in their partners. Increased work–family conflict in homeschooling couples is particularly worrisome given its link to increased stress and poor mental health. Moreover, women’s increased drinking may impede their ability to support their families during the pandemic. Men’s increased drinking could put homeschooling mothers at risk for escalating conflict/domestic violence, given links of male drinking to intimate partner violence. Finally, the protective-partner effects of men’s homeschooling hours on women’s drinking frequency suggests that more egalitarian division of homeschooling labor may have protective cross-over effects.

The safety valve is the core component of the pressure-relief protection device for pressure-bearing special equipment. When the safety valve leaks, the medium of the pressure vessel will be lost and wasted, which may cause safety accidents. With the aim to solve the problem of accurately locating the multiple leakage sources of safety valves, a localization method combining a uniform circular array acoustic emission detection and an improved multiple signal classification (MUSIC) algorithm is proposed. First, an improved wavelet threshold function denoising method is introduced to extract acoustic emission signals with high SNR, thereby reducing the rank of the covariance matrix, weakening the noise dispersion caused by eigenvalue reconstruction, avoiding signal and noise cross-confusion, and improving positioning accuracy. By introducing a windowed fast Fourier transform (FFT) frequency division processing link to obtain narrowband signal, the premise of using MUSIC positioning algorithm is established. In addition, a forward/backward spatial smoothing algorithm is introduced in the decoherence link to reduce co-channel interference, reduce the rank loss of the signal covariance matrix, and improve the positioning accuracy of the algorithm. The results show that when the working pressure is 0.70 MPa, 0.75 MPa, and 0.80 MPa, the deviation between the azimuth angle and elevation angle positioning results of each leakage source obtained by the improved MUSIC algorithm and the actual angle does not exceed 2°, and the relative error does not exceed 3.5%. Therefore, the improved MUSIC algorithm can accurately locate multiple leakage sources of the safety valve, and as the working pressure of the safety valve increases, the positioning accuracy of the improved MUSIC algorithm also increases accordingly.

The Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) is a very promising licensed Internet of things (IoT) technology for accommodating massive device connections in 5G and beyond. To enable network scalability, this study proposes a two-layers novel mixed approach that aims not only to create an efficient spectrum sharing among the many NB-IoT devices but also provides an energy-efficient network. On one layer, the approach uses an Adaptive Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (AFHSS) technique that uses a lightweight and secure pseudo-random sequence to exploit the channel diversity, to mitigate inter-link and cross-technology interference. On the second layer, the approach consists of a clustering and network coding (data aggregation) approach based on an energy-signal strength mixed gradient. The second layer contributes to offload the BS, allows for energy-efficient network scalability, helps balance the energy consumption of the network, and enhances the overall network lifetime. The proposed mixed strategy algorithm is modelled and simulated using the Matrix Laboratory (MATLAB) Long Term Evolution (LTE) toolbox. The obtained results reveal that the proposed mixed approach enhances network scalability while improving energy efficiency, transmission reliability, and network lifetime when compared to the existing spread spectrum only, nodes clustering only, and mixed approach with no network coding approaches.

Nonstationary linear systems or linear systems with variable parameters are systems that are described by linear differential equations with variable coefficients. Consideration of the controller synthesis problems for such systems may be dictated by the need to satisfy a certain margin of the automatic control system stability to minor disturbances both from sensors reading the state of the system and from changes in the parameters of the controlled object itself over time. In addition, a real controlled object, in comparison with its mathematical model, quite often contains some uncertainties that should not significantly affect the quality of control.This work considers an example of synthesizing a multichannel controller that would provide a good control quality (stability margin) if the controlled object contains some uncertainties or if its mathematical model with accuracy up to certain parameters is unknown. In addition, the control task is complicated by a link of delay in the structure of the object (that is, there is a certain period of time when there is no reaction from the regulated object to the control action).A modified algorithm of polynomial matrix decomposition of the matrix transfer function of the system, taking into account the conservation of the delay link poles, is chosen as a method of controller synthesis. To demonstrate the algorithm operation, a linear model of the unstable controlled object with a multi-channel structure consisting of two input and two output channels is taken. The description of the object is used in the form of the matrix transfer function, which shows the interaction in the multi-channel control system and the relationship between channels. The object model contains cross-links representing direct input-output connections. The delay links are present in all channels and are approximated using the Pade series with a limited number of terms. The non-stationary parameters of the object were obtained due to the multiplicative interference modeled in the Simulink Matlab package.It is necessary to achieve certain quality indicators of the output vector process when controlling two input influences. To ensure a stable transition process from the system, the poles preservation of the delay link will be necessary. Then the controller calculated for the system with the delay link in the form of the Pade series is applied to the system with an "ideal" delay.

Background:Immunoassays are used to measure a range of analytes in clinical laboratories. Rheumatoid factor (RF) and other patient antibodies, such as heterophilic antibodies, can bind animal antibodies used in immunoassays and cause erroneous results, which may lead to misdiagnosis and incorrect treatment of patients.1Objectives:To assess RF reactivity to animal antibodies and to test if selected commercial immunoassays are vulnerable to interference from RF-positive sera.Methods:Samples from 124 patients with RF-positive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) included in the Norwegian Very Early Arthritis Clinic (NOR-VEAC)-cohort2were included in the study. Samples from patients with seronegative RA (n=51) and psoriatic arthritis (n=15) from the same cohort were included as controls. Reactivity to mouse IgG1, mouse IgG2a, rabbit IgG, bovine IgG, sheep/goat IgG and human IgG was analysed using in-house interference assays detecting antibodies able to cross-link the animal or human antibodies. RF-positive sera with strong reactivity to mouse IgG1 were selected for testing in three commercial immunoassays previously shown to be susceptible to interference from heterophilic antibodies; Abbott Architect Total β-hCG assay, BioRad 27-plex cytokine assays and Roche Elecsys Soluble Transferrin Receptor (sTfR).3Samples were tested before and after addition of blocking aggregated murine IgG1 (interference protection). Interference was defined as a discrepancy between the unblocked and blocked samples likely to influence clinical interpretation of the results and exceeding the reported assay imprecision with a considerable margin.Results:We found considerably stronger reactivity toward animal antibodies, particularly mouse IgG1 and rabbit IgG, in sera from RF-positive RA-patients compared to the control group (Fig. 1a-b). In the Abbott β-hCG assay, interference was shown in 6 out of the 30 tested sera (Fig. 2a). In the 27-plex cytokine assays, interference was demonstrated in 7 out of 10 tested sera (for 3-14 analytes). Furthermore, 17 out of the 27 cytokine assays were found to be susceptible to interference (Fig. 2b). Interference was shown in 2 out of 33 samples in the sTfR assay. In unblocked samples, sTfR values were 8.1 and 8.2 mg/L, vs. 4.2 mg/L and 6.0 mg/L in blocked samples, respectively. Additionally, 3 sera had >25% relative difference, but the results were within the reference range.Figure. 1(a-b)Figure. 2(a-b)Conclusion:Reactivity to animal antibodies used in immunoassays is common in sera from RF-positive RA patients and are associated with falsely elevated results in commercial immunoassays. In our cohort, interference was demonstrated in a considerable proportion of samples in the Abbott hCG and 27-plex cytokine assays. Physicians as well as researchers, laboratories and assay manufacturers must be alert to the risk of falsely elevated test results in RF positive RA patients, particularly when results are unexpected or discordant with clinical findings. False test results may interfere with research results, and also lead to potentially harmful diagnostic and therapeutic interventions if unrecognised.References:[1] Bolstad N, et al. Heterophilic antibody interference in immunometric assays.Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab2013;27(5):647-61.[2] Norli ES, et al. Diagnostic spectrum and 2-year outcome in a cohort of patients with very early arthritis.RMD Open2017;3(2):e000573.[3] Bolstad N, et al. Heterophilic antibody interference in commercial immunoassays; a screening study using paired native and pre-blocked sera.Clinical Chem Lab Med2011;49(12):2001-6.Disclosure of Interests:Johanna Elin Gehin Speakers bureau: Roche, Rolf Anton Klaasen: None declared, Ellen Sauar Norli: None declared, Silje Watterdal Syversen Speakers bureau: Roche, Thermo Fisher, Guro Løvik Goll Consultant of: Novartis, Pfizer, Speakers bureau: Abbvie, Biogen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Orion Pharma, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, MSD, Roche, UCB, David J Warren: None declared, Tore K. Kvien Grant/research support from: Received grants from Abbvie, Hospira/Pfizer, MSD and Roche (not relevant for this abstract)., Consultant of: Have received personal fees from Abbvie, Biogen, BMS, Celltrion, Eli Lily, Hospira/Pfizer, MSD, Novartis, Orion Pharma, Roche, Sandoz, UCB, Sanofi and Mylan (not relevant for this abstract)., Paid instructor for: Have received personal fees from Abbvie, Biogen, BMS, Celltrion, Eli Lily, Hospira/Pfizer, MSD, Novartis, Orion Pharma, Roche, Sandoz, UCB, Sanofi and Mylan (not relevant for this abstract)., Speakers bureau: Have received personal fees from Abbvie, Biogen, BMS, Celltrion, Eli Lily, Hospira/Pfizer, MSD, Novartis, Orion Pharma, Roche, Sandoz, UCB, Sanofi and Mylan (not relevant for this abstract)., Kjell Johannes Nustad: None declared, Maria D Mjaavatten Speakers bureau: Pfizer, Abbott, Nils Bolstad Consultant of: Pfizer, Janssen, Speakers bureau: Orion Pharma, Napp Pharmaceuticals, Takeda, Roche, Novartis

General-purpose Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) sensors perform the image desegregation in three channels (red, green, and blue) as a result of a band-pass wavelength filtering carried out using Foveon or Bayer filters. This characteristic can be used in Optical Camera Communication (OCC) systems for increasing the links’ data rate by introducing Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) or Color Shift Keying (CSK) modulation schemes. However, these techniques need a compensation stage to mitigate the cross-talk between channels introduced by the filters. This compensation is performed by a Channel State Information (CSI) estimation and a zero-forcing compensation scheme. The impact of the temperature effects of light-emitting diode (LED) emissions on the zero-forcing compensation scheme’s performance has not been analyzed in depth. This work presents a comprehensive methodology and experimental characterization of this impact for Foveon and Bayer-based image sensors, assuming that the CSI is estimated under temperature conditions different from the LED’s stationary temperature regime. Besides, Signal-to-Interference-plus-Noise Ratio (SINR) and Bit Error Rate (BER) performance metrics are presented in order to estimate the repercussion in an OCC link. The results reveal that the Foveon sensor obtains more unsatisfactory performance than the Bayer-based sensor. On the other hand, the blue band is the most penalized by the thermal effect.

Abstract. Satellite observations from the SCIAMACHY, GOME-2 and OMI spectrometers have been used to retrieve atmospheric columns of glyoxal (CHOCHO) with the DOAS method. High CHOCHO levels were found over regions with large biogenic and pyrogenic emissions, and hot-spots have been identified over areas of anthropogenic activities. This study focuses on the development of an improved retrieval for CHOCHO from measurements by the OMI instrument. From sensitivity tests, a fitting window and a polynomial degree are determined. Two different approaches to reduce the interference of liquid water absorption over oceanic regions are evaluated, achieving significant reduction of the number of negative columns over clear water regions. The impact of using different absorption cross-sections for water vapour is evaluated and only small differences are found. Finally, a high-temperature (boundary layer ambient: 294 K) absorption cross-section of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is introduced in the DOAS retrieval to account for potential interferences of NO2 over regions with large anthropogenic emissions, leading to improved fit quality over these areas. A comparison with vertical CHOCHO columns retrieved from GOME-2 and SCIAMACHY measurements over continental regions is performed, showing overall good consistency. However, SCIAMACHY CHOCHO columns are systematically higher than those obtained from the other instruments. Using the new OMI CHOCHO data set, the link between fires and glyoxal columns is investigated for two selected regions in Africa. In addition, mapped averages are computed for a fire event in Russia between mid-July and mid-August 2010. In both cases, enhanced CHOCHO levels are found in close spatial and temporal proximity to elevated levels of MODIS fire radiative power, demonstrating that pyrogenic emissions can be clearly identified in the new OMI CHOCHO product.

Recent advancements in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications have greatly increased the flexibility of the physical (PHY) and medium access control (MAC) layers. This increases the complexity when investigating the system from a network perspective to evaluate the performance of the supported applications. Such flexibility, in fact, needs to be taken into account through a cross-layer approach, which might lead to challenging evaluation processes. As an accurate simulation of the signals appears unfeasible, a typical solution is to rely on simple models for incorporating the PHY layer of the supported technologies based on off-line measurements or accurate link-level simulations. Such data are, however, limited to a subset of possible configurations, and extending them to others is costly when not even impossible. The goal of this paper is to develop a new approach for modeling the PHY layer of V2X communications that can be extended to a wide range of configurations without leading to extensive measurement or simulation campaigns at the link layer. In particular, given a scenario and starting from results in terms of the packet error rate (PER) vs. signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) related to a subset of possible configurations, we first approximated the curves with step functions characterized by a given SINR threshold, and we then derived one parameter, called implementation loss, that was used to obtain the SINR threshold and evaluate the network performance under any configuration in the same scenario. The proposed methodology, leading to a good trade-off among the complexity, generality, and accuracy of the performance evaluation process, was validated through extensive simulations with both IEEE 802.11p and LTE-V2X sidelink technologies in various scenarios. The results first show that the curves can be effectively approximated by using an SINR threshold, with a value corresponding to 0.5 PER, and then demonstrate that the network-level outputs derived from the proposed approach are very close to those obtained with complete curves, despite not being restricted to a few possible configurations.

This paper is meant to study the apocalyptic scenario of the at the perspectives of the Great Acceleration. the apocalyptic scenario is not a pure imagination of the literature works. Instead, scientific evidences are in favour of dramatic change in the climatic conditions related to the climax of Man actions. the modelling of the future climate leads to horrible situations including intolerable temperatures, dryness, tornadoes, and noticeable sear level rise evading coastal regions. Going far from these scientific claims, Homo Sapiens Sapiens extended his imagination through the Climate-Fiction (cli-fi) to propose a dramatic end. Climate Fiction is developed into a recording machine containing every kind of fictions that depict environmental condition events and has consequently lost its true significance. Introduction The Great Acceleration may be considered as the Late Anthropocene in which Man actions reached their climax to lead to dramatic climatic changes paving the way for a possible apocalyptic scenario threatening the existence of the humanity. So, the apocalyptic scenario is not a pure imagination of the literature works. Instead, many scientific arguments especially related to climate change are in favour of the apocalypse1. As a matter of fact, the modelling of the future climate leads to horrible situations including intolerable temperatures (In 06/07/2021, Kuwait recorded the highest temperature of 53.2 °C), dryness, tornadoes, and noticeable sear level rise evading coastal regions. These conditions taking place during the Great Acceleration would have direct repercussions on the human species. Considering that the apocalyptic extinction had really caused the disappearance of many stronger species including dinosaurs, Homo Sapiens Sapiens extended his imagination though the Climate-Fiction (cli-fi) to propose a dramatic end due to severe climate conditions intolerable by the humankind. The mass extinction of animal species has occurred several times over the geological ages. Researchers have a poor understanding of the causes and processes of these major crises1. Nonetheless, whatever the cause of extinction, the apocalyptic scenario has always been present in the geological history. For example, dinosaurs extinction either by asteroids impact or climate changes could by no means denies the apocalyptic aspect2.At the same time as them, many animal and plant species became extinct, from marine or flying reptiles to marine plankton. This biological crisis of sixty-five million years ago is not the only one that the biosphere has suffered. It was preceded and followed by other crises which caused the extinction or the rarefaction of animal species. So, it is undeniable that many animal groups have disappeared. It is even on the changes of fauna that the geologists of the last century have based themselves to establish the scale of geological times, scale which is still used. But it is no less certain that the extinction processes, extremely complex, are far from being understood. We must first agree on the meaning of the word "extinction", namely on the apocalyptic aspect of the concept. It is quite understood that, without disappearances, the evolution of species could not have followed its course. Being aware that the apocalyptic extinction had massacred stronger species that had dominated the planet, Homo Sapiens Sapiens has been aware that the possibility of apocalyptic end at the perspective of the Anthropocene (i.e., Great Acceleration) could not be excluded. This conviction is motivated by the progressive defaunation in some regions3and the appearance of alien species in others related to change of mineralogy and geochemistry4 leading to a climate change during the Anthropocene. These scientific claims fed the vast imagination about climate change to set the so-called cli-fi. The concept of the Anthropocene is the new geological era which begins when the Man actions have reached a sufficient power to modify the geological processes and climatic cycles of the planet5. The Anthropocene by no means excludes the possibility of an apocalyptic horizon, namely in the perspectives of the Great Acceleration. On the contrary, two scenarios do indeed seem to dispute the future of the Anthropocene, with a dramatic cross-charge. The stories of the end of the world are as old as it is, as the world is the origin of these stories. However, these stories of the apocalypse have evolved over time and, since the beginning of the 19th century, they have been nourished particularly by science and its advances. These fictions have sometimes tried to pass themselves off as science. This is the current vogue, called collapsology6. This end is more than likely cli-fi driven7and it may cause the extinction of the many species including the Homo Sapiens Sapiens. In this vein, Anthropocene defaunation has become an ultimate reality8. More than one in eight birds, more than one in five mammals, more than one in four coniferous species, one in three amphibians are threatened. The hypothesis of a hierarchy within the living is induced by the error of believing that evolution goes from the simplest to the most sophisticated, from the inevitably stupid inferior to the superior endowed with an intelligence giving prerogative to all powers. Evolution goes in all directions and pursues no goal except the extension of life on Earth. Evolution certainly does not lead from bacteria to humans, preferably male and white. Our species is only a carrier of the DNA that precedes us and that will survive us. Until we show a deep respect for the biosphere particularly, and our planet in general, we will not become much, we will remain a predator among other predators, the fiercest of predators, the almighty craftsman of the Anthropocene. To be in the depths of our humanity, somehow giving back to the biosphere what we have taken from it seems obvious. To stop the sixth extinction of species, we must condemn our anthropocentrism and the anthropization of the territories that goes with it. The other forms of life also need to keep their ecological niches. According to the first, humanity seems at first to withdraw from the limits of the planet and ultimately succumb to them, with a loss of dramatic meaning. According to the second, from collapse to collapse, it is perhaps another humanity, having overcome its demons, that could come. Climate fiction is a literary sub-genre dealing with the theme of climate change, including global warming. The term appears to have been first used in 2008 by blogger and writer Dan Bloom. In October 2013, Angela Evancie, in a review of the novel Odds against Tomorrow, by Nathaniel Rich, wonders if climate change has created a new literary genre. Scientific basis of the apocalyptic scenario in the perspective of the Anthropocene Global warming All temperature indices are in favour of a global warming (Fig.1). According to the different scenarios of the IPCC9, the temperatures of the globe could increase by 2 °C to 5 °C by 2100. But some scientists warn about a possible runaway of the warming which can reach more than 3 °C. Thus, the average temperature on the surface of the globe has already increased by more than 1.1 °C since the pre-industrial era. The rise in average temperatures at the surface of the globe is the first expected and observed consequence of massive greenhouse gas emissions. However, meteorological surveys record positive temperature anomalies which are confirmed from year to year compared to the temperatures recorded since the middle of the 19th century. Climatologists point out that the past 30 years have seen the highest temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere for over 1,400 years. Several climatic centres around the world record, synthesize and follow the evolution of temperatures on Earth. Since the beginning of the 20th century (1906-2005), the average temperature at the surface of the globe has increased by 0.74 °C, but this progression has not been continuous since 1976, the increase has clearly accelerated, reaching 0.19 °C per decade according to model predictions. Despite the decline in solar activity, the period 1997-2006 is marked by an average positive anomaly of 0.53 °C in the northern hemisphere and 0.27 °C in the southern hemisphere, still compared to the normal calculated for 1961-1990. The ten hottest years on record are all after 1997. Worse, 14 of the 15 hottest years are in the 21st century, which has barely started. Thus, 2016 is the hottest year, followed closely by 2015, 2014 and 2010. The temperature of tropical waters increased by 1.2 °C during the 20th century (compared to 0.5 °C on average for the oceans), causing coral reefs to bleach in 1997. In 1998, the period of Fort El Niño, the prolonged warming of the water has destroyed half of the coral reefs of the Indian Ocean. In addition, the temperature in the tropics of the five ocean basins, where cyclones form, increased by 0.5 °C from 1970 to 2004, and powerful cyclones appeared in the North Atlantic in 2005, while they were more numerous in other parts of the world. Recently, mountains of studies focused on the possible scenario of climate change and the potential worldwide repercussions including hell temperatures and apocalyptic extreme events10 , 11, 12. Melting of continental glaciers As a direct result of the global warming, melting of continental glaciers has been recently noticed13. There are approximately 198,000 mountain glaciers in the world; they cover an area of approximately 726,000 km2. If they all melted, the sea level would rise by about 40 cm. Since the late 1960s, global snow cover has declined by around 10 to 15%. Winter cold spells in much of the northern half of the northern hemisphere are two weeks shorter than 100 years ago. Glaciers of mountains have been declining all over the world by an average of 50 m per decade for 150 years. However, they are also subject to strong multi-temporal variations which make forecasts on this point difficult according to some specialists. In the Alps, glaciers have been losing 1 meter per year for 30 years. Polar glaciers like those of Spitsbergen (about a hundred km from the North Pole) have been retreating since 1880, releasing large quantities of water. The Arctic has lost about 10% of its permanent ice cover every ten years since 1980. In this region, average temperatures have increased at twice the rate of elsewhere in the world in recent decades. The melting of the Arctic Sea ice has resulted in a loss of 15% of its surface area and 40% of its thickness since 1979. The record for melting arctic sea ice was set in 2017. All models predict the disappearance of the Arctic Sea ice in summer within a few decades, which will not be without consequences for the climate in Europe. The summer melting of arctic sea ice accelerated far beyond climate model predictions. Added to its direct repercussions of coastal regions flooding, melting of continental ice leads to radical climatic modifications in favour of the apocalyptic scenario. Fig.1 Evolution of temperature anomaly from 1880 to 2020: the apocalyptic scenario Sea level rise As a direct result of the melting of continental glaciers, sea level rise has been worldwide recorded14 ,15. The average level of the oceans has risen by 22 cm since 1880 and 2 cm since the year 2000 because of the melting of the glaciers but also with the thermal expansion of the water. In the 20th century, the sea level rose by around 2 mm per year. From 1990 to 2017, it reached the relatively constant rate of just over 3mm per year. Several sources contributed to sea level increase including thermal expansion of water (42%), melting of continental glaciers (21%), melting Greenland glaciers (15%) and melting Antarctic glaciers (8%). Since 2003, there has always been a rapid rise (around 3.3 mm / year) in sea level, but the contribution of thermal expansion has decreased (0.4 mm / year) while the melting of the polar caps and continental glaciers accelerates. Since most of the world’s population is living on coastal regions, sea level rise represents a real threat for the humanity, not excluding the apocalyptic scenario. Multiplication of extreme phenomena and climatic anomalies On a human scale, an average of 200 million people is affected by natural disasters each year and approximately 70,000 perish from them. Indeed, as evidenced by the annual reviews of disasters and climatic anomalies, we are witnessing significant warning signs. It is worth noting that these observations are dependent on meteorological survey systems that exist only in a limited number of countries with statistics that rarely go back beyond a century or a century and a half. In addition, scientists are struggling to represent the climatic variations of the last two thousand years which could serve as a reference in the projections. Therefore, the exceptional nature of this information must be qualified a little. Indeed, it is still difficult to know the return periods of climatic disasters in each region. But over the last century, the climate system has gone wild. Indeed, everything suggests that the climate is racing. Indeed, extreme events and disasters have become more frequent. For instance, less than 50 significant events were recorded per year over the period 1970-1985, while there have been around 120 events recorded since 1995. Drought has long been one of the most worrying environmental issues. But while African countries have been the main affected so far, the whole world is now facing increasingly frequent and prolonged droughts. Chile, India, Australia, United States, France and even Russia are all regions of the world suffering from the acceleration of the global drought. Droughts are slowly evolving natural hazards that can last from a few months to several decades and affect larger or smaller areas, whether they are small watersheds or areas of hundreds of thousands of square kilometres. In addition to their direct effects on water resources, agriculture and ecosystems, droughts can cause fires or heat waves. They also promote the proliferation of invasive species, creating environments with multiple risks, worsening the consequences on ecosystems and societies, and increasing their vulnerability. Although these are natural phenomena, there is a growing understanding of how humans have amplified the severity and impacts of droughts, both on the environment and on people. We influence meteorological droughts through our action on climate change, and we influence hydrological droughts through our management of water circulation and water processes at the local scale, for example by diverting rivers or modifying land use. During the Anthropocene (the present period when humans exert a dominant influence on climate and environment), droughts are closely linked to human activities, cultures, and responses. From this scientific overview, it may be concluded apocalyptic scenario is not only a literature genre inspired from the pure imagination. Instead, many scientific arguments are in favour of this dramatic destiny of Homo Sapiens Sapiens. Fig.2. Sea level rise from 1880 to 2020: a possible apocalyptic scenario (www.globalchange.gov, 2021) Apocalyptic genre in recent writing As the original landmark of apocalyptic writing, we must place the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem in 587 BC and the Exile in Babylon. Occasion of a religious and cultural crossing with imprescriptible effects, the Exile brought about a true rebirth, characterized by the maintenance of the essential ethical, even cultural, of a national religion, that of Moses, kept as pure as possible on a foreign land and by the reinterpretation of this fundamental heritage by the archaic return of what was very old, both national traditions and neighbouring cultures. More precisely, it was the place and time for the rehabilitation of cultures and the melting pot for recasting ancient myths. This vast infatuation with Antiquity, remarkable even in the vocabulary used, was not limited to Israel: it even largely reflected a general trend. The long period that preceded throughout the 7th century BC and until 587, like that prior to the edict of Cyrus in 538 BC, was that of restorations and rebirths, of returns to distant sources and cultural crossings. In the biblical literature of this period, one is struck by the almost systematic link between, on the one hand, a very sustained mythical reinvestment even in form and, on the other, the frequent use of biblical archaisms. The example of Shadday, a word firmly rooted in the Semites of the Northwest and epithet of El in the oldest layers of the books of Genesis and Exodus, is most eloquent. This term reappears precisely at the time of the Exile as a designation of the divinity of the Patriarchs and of the God of Israel; Daily, ecological catastrophes now describe the normal state of societies exposed to "risks", in the sense that Ulrich Beck gives to this term: "the risk society is a society of catastrophe. The state of emergency threatens to become a normal state there1”. Now, the "threat" has become clearer, and catastrophic "exceptions" are proliferating as quickly as species are disappearing and climate change is accelerating. The relationship that we have with this worrying reality, to say the least, is twofold: on the one hand, we know very well what is happening to us; on the other hand, we fail to draw the appropriate theoretical and political consequences. This ecological duplicity is at the heart of what has come to be called the “Anthropocene”, a term coined at the dawn of the 21st century by Eugene Stoermer (an environmentalist) and Paul Crutzen (a specialist in the chemistry of the atmosphere) in order to describe an age when humanity would have become a "major geological force" capable of disrupting the climate and changing the terrestrial landscape from top to bottom. If the term “Anthropocene” takes note of human responsibility for climate change, this responsibility is immediately attributed to overpowering: strong as we are, we have “involuntarily” changed the climate for at least two hundred and fifty years. Therefore, let us deliberately change the face of the Earth, if necessary, install a solar shield in space. Recognition and denial fuel the signifying machine of the Anthropocene. And it is precisely what structures eco-apocalyptic cinema that this article aims to study. By "eco-apocalyptic cinema", we first mean a cinematographic sub-genre: eco-apocalyptic and post-eco-apocalyptic films base the possibility (or reality) of the end of the world on environmental grounds and not, for example, on damage caused by the possible collision of planet Earth with a comet. Post-apocalyptic science fiction (sometimes abbreviated as "post-apo" or "post-nuke") is a sub-genre of science fiction that depicts life after a disaster that destroyed civilization: nuclear war, collision with a meteorite, epidemic, economic or energy crisis, pandemic, alien invasion. Conclusion Climate and politics have been linked together since Aristotle. With Montesquieu, Ibn Khaldûn or Watsuji, a certain climatic determinism is attributed to the character of a nation. The break with modernity made the climate an object of scientific knowledge which, in the twentieth century, made it possible to document, despite the controversies, the climatic changes linked to industrialization. Both endanger the survival of human beings and ecosystems. Climate ethics are therefore looking for a new relationship with the biosphere or Gaia. For some, with the absence of political agreements, it is the beginning of inevitable catastrophes. For others, the Anthropocene, which henceforth merges human history with natural history, opens onto technical action. The debate between climate determinism and human freedom is revived. The reference to the biblical Apocalypse was present in the thinking of thinkers like Günther Anders, Karl Jaspers or Hans Jonas: the era of the atomic bomb would mark an entry into the time of the end, a time marked by the unprecedented human possibility of 'total war and annihilation of mankind. The Apocalypse will be very relevant in describing the chaos to come if our societies continue their mad race described as extra-activist, productivist and consumerist. In dialogue with different theologians and philosophers (such as Jacques Ellul), it is possible to unveil some spiritual, ethical, and political resources that the Apocalypse offers for thinking about History and human engagement in the Anthropocene. What can a theology of collapse mean at a time when negative signs and dead ends in the human situation multiply? What then is the place of man and of the cosmos in the Apocalypse according to Saint John? Could the end of history be a collapse? How can we live in the time we have left before the disaster? Answers to such questions remain unknown and no scientist can predict the trajectory of this Great Acceleration taking place at the Late Anthropocene. When science cannot give answers, Man tries to infer his destiny for the legend, religion and the fiction. Climate Fiction is developed into a recording machine containing every kind of fictions that depict environmental condition events and has consequently lost its true significance. Aware of the prospect of ecological collapse additionally as our apparent inability to avert it, we tend to face geology changes of forceful proportions that severely challenge our ability to imagine the implications. Climate fiction ought to be considered an important supplement to climate science, as a result, climate fiction makes visible and conceivable future modes of existence inside worlds not solely deemed seemingly by science, however that area unit scientifically anticipated. 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