Improving Performance of User Pair Using Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces

With the given scope for new use cases and the demanding needs of future 6th generation (6G) wireless networks, the development of wireless communications looks exciting. The propagation medium has been viewed as a randomly behaving entity between the transmitter and the receiver since traditional wireless technology, degrading the quality of the received signal due to the unpredictable interactions of the broadcast radio waves with the surrounding objects. On the other hand, network operators could now manipulate electromagnetic radiation to remove the negative impacts of natural wireless propagation due to the recent arrival of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) in wireless communications. According to recent findings, the RIS mechanism benefits nonorthogonal multiple access (NOMA), which can effectively deliver effective transmissions. For simple design, of RIS-NOMA system, fixed power allocation scheme for NOMA is required. The main system performance metric, i.e., outage probability, needs to be considered to look at the efficiency and capability of transmission mode relying on RIS and NOMA schemes, motivated by the potential of these developing technologies. As major performance metrics, we derive analytical representations of outage probability, and throughput and an accurate approximation is obtained for the outage probability. Numerical results are conducted to validate the exactness of the theoretical analysis. It is found that increasing the higher number of reflecting elements in the RIS can significantly boost the outage probability performance, and the scenario with only the RIS link is also beneficial. In addition, it is desirable to deploy the RIS-NOMA since it is indicated that better performance compared with the traditional multiple access technique.

Fear of Others: Processes of (De)Securitisation in Northern Ireland

Situated at the junction between the field of ethnic politics, security studies, and migration, this paper analyses processes of (de)securitisation in Northern Ireland. The country is characterised by its violent past, consociational power-sharing institutions, experience with periods of political instability, and the recent arrival of several thousand people from other EU and non-EU countries. As a case study, Northern Ireland epitomises the problems of divided societies and the challenges posed by the presence of competing nationalisms in multinational and ever more diversifying countries. This paper applies the concept of (de)securitisation to analyse the extent to which past conflicts and tensions have been overcome; uncovering who or what is perceived as a threat, according to which terms, and how this affects majority-minority relations. To conduct the analysis, I adopt the Copenhagen School understanding of securitisation as a speech act. I use a qualitative methodology, examining (de)securitising discourses that emerged in the party programmes of the main political forces which won seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2017 and in previous elections since 1998. I look at the evolution and transformation of such discourses since the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 to today, bringing to light the different security narratives that characterise Northern Ireland concerning the divisions and relationship among its communities and the broader issue of diversity.

Climatic data provide clues on the geographic origin of a spider invasion in the Americas

Identifying the source population of invasive species is important to assess the distribution and potential effects in the invaded area. The araneid spider Cyrtophora citricola is widely distributed in Europe, Asia, and Africa; however, in the last twenty years, it has been reported in several countries across the Americas. To date, the geographic origin of the populations established in America remains unclear, but considering the successful colonization after its recent arrival, a high environmental similarity between the invaded and native geographic distributions is expected. In this study, we compared the environmental characteristics of two possible native regions (southern Africa and the Mediterranean) and the invaded region (America), to determine the more likely origin for the populations established in America. We found that the South African populations of C. citricola occupy environments with similar climatic conditions to those of the American populations, and these similarities are greater than the ones shared with the Mediterranean populations. Therefore, our results support a Southern African, rather than a Mediterranean origin for the populations established in America. In addition, our results also show that populations in America are expanding to environments that differ from those of the native populations. Further studies, assessing intrinsic (e.g. physiological tolerances, plasticity, behavior, reproduction) and extrinsic (physical barriers, predator release) factors could provide further information to disentangle the mechanisms behind this expansion.

Black Skin, White Cameras

The recent arrival in Israel of thousands of refugees from countries like Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Sudan has triggered a spate of hate crimes and mob violence. Asked about these asylum seekers in 2012, Likud-party member Miri Regev called them a “cancer.” For this comment, she later apologized—not to the African asylum-seekers but to Israeli cancer survivors, and she expressed regret for comparing them to Africans. Around that same time, Interior Minister Eli Yishai of the Shas Party told a reporter that “this country belongs to us, to the white man.” Continuing on, he stated that he would use “all the tools [necessary] to expel the foreigners, until not one infiltrator remains.” While the racial dynamics of Israel have been thoroughly examined with respect to both intra-Jewish tensions (Ashkenazi supremacy) and the Palestinian issue (white settler-colonialism), in this essay, I want to theorize Israeli whiteness with respect to the African refugees. Specifically, I will examine two recent Israeli documentaries dealing with African refugees—Hotline (dir. Silvina Landsmann, 2015) and Between Fences (dir. Avi Mograbi, 2016). Both openly demonstrate solidarity with the African asylum-seekers, but they do so in different ways, and if the former film leaves the racial hierarchies of Zionism intact, the latter works to shatter them.

Prevalence of multidrug-resistant bacteria colonisation among asylum seekers in western Switzerland

The recent increase of migration to Europe represents a risk of increased the prevalence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria. We conducted a cross-sectional study among asylum seekers admitted at two hospitals in Switzerland. Of the 59 patients included, 9 (14%) were colonised by a MDR bacteria, including 5 (8.5%) methicilin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and 4 (6.8%) extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae. No patient carried both ESBL-producing bacteria and MRSA. None of the patients carried a vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) or a carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE). Colonisation with MDR bacteria was not associated with hospitalisation abroad or recent arrival in Switzerland. Whole genome sequencing analysis allowed us to exclude transmission between patients. The prevalence of MDR bacteria carriage is moderate among asylum seekers in western Switzerland. Further surveillance studies are necessary to determine if there is a risk of dissemination of pathogens into the local population.

Evolution of Catholic Marriage Morality in the Twentieth Century from a Baby-Making Contract to a Love-Making Covenant: Part II–Era of John Paul II

For nearly a century Catholic Church teaching on Sexuality evolved greatly. Changes in science and the teaching of other Christian churches begged for a fresh start. John Paul II, elected pope in 1978, attempted to update that teaching by providing new background arguments, without changing any of the strictures in the foreground. John Paul II insisted on necessity of total love, allowing for no exceptions. He claimed that divorce was impossible because the spouses retained no control over their marriage promises. Homosexual activity was judged to be morally deficient. Likewise the recent arrival of reproductive technology was largely condemned for breaking the sexual unity of the spouses. But fertile sexual activity was newly appreciated as the important activity of spouses cooperating with the creative activity of God. In the twenty-first century the Church’s official teachings continues to be reformed, but their relevance is widely questioned as social norms continue to drastically change.

First North American Records of the Old-World Tramp Ant Syllophopsis sechellensis(Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Syllophopsis sechellensis (Emery) (formerly Monomorium sechellense) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) is a small, inconspicuous ant species native to the Old-World tropics. Syllophopsis sechellensis is widespread in Asia and Australia, and on islands the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic Oceans. In the New World, all published records come from West Indian islands. Here, I report the first records of S. sechellensis from North America: from four sites in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, Florida, more than 1500 km from the closest records in the West Indies. The ants of Florida have been well-studied in the past, so S. sechellensis appears to be a recent arrival.

Identifying Opportunities to Improve the Network of Immigration Legal Services Providers

Immigration legal services providers (ISPs) are a principal source of support for low-income immigrants seeking immigration benefits. Yet there is scant quantitative evidence on the prevalence and geographic distribution of ISPs in the United States. To fill this gap, we construct a comprehensive, nationwide database of 2,138 geocoded ISP offices that offer low- or no-cost legal services to low-income immigrants. We use spatial optimization methods to analyze the geographic network of ISPs and measure ISPs’ proximity to the low-income immigrant population. Because both ISPs and immigrants are highly concentrated in major urban areas, most low-income immigrants live close to an ISP. However, we also find a sizable fraction of low-income immigrants in underserved areas, which are primarily in midsize cities in the South. This reflects both a general skew in non-governmental organization service provision and the more recent arrival of immigrants in these largely Southern destinations. Finally, our opti- mization analysis suggests significant gains from placing new ISPs in underserved areas to maximize the number of low-income immigrants who live near an ISP. Overall, our results provide vital information to immigrants, funders, and policymakers about the current state of the ISP network and opportunities to improve it.

Roses: the latest chapter in the conflicted history of controlling irrigation water in the Ecuadorian Andes

The history of the Pisque watershed in the Ecuadorian Andes is one of local livelihoods and resources being disrupted by external actors: Incas in Pre-Columbian times, Spaniards during the era of Conquest and Colonisation, and, during the Republic, white-mestizo elites followed by international businesses. Local communities have suffered from, rebelled against, and adapted to adverse, ever-changing socioeconomic, environmental, and political conditions. We trace this history from a political–ecological standpoint, applying the Echelons of Rights Analysis framework and the hydrosocial territory concept to examine conflicts over resources, norms, authorities, and discourses related to irrigation water. The centuries-old saga of battles over water in Pisque helps us understand the latest chapter in the story: the onset of rose agribusinesses, inheritors of the privileges of colonial haciendas. The recent arrival (ca. ten years ago) of small locally managed greenhouses adds complexity to the “food vs. flowers” dichotomy. It also makes it difficult to predict the effects on local attitudes to food security, water justice, and sovereignty.