ID Number		1559
Study Type		Engineering & Physics
Model		RF Measurement Techniques (catch all).
Details		AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Aerts et al. 2013 (IEEE #5285): In this study, a novel methodology is proposed to create heat maps that accurately pinpoint the outdoor locations with elevated exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) in an extensive urban region (or, hotspots), and that would allow local authorities and epidemiologists to efficiently assess the locations and spectral composition of these hotspots, while at the same time developing a global picture of the exposure in the area. Moreover, no prior knowledge about the presence of radiofrequency radiation sources (e.g., base station parameters) is required. After building a surrogate model from the available data using kriging, the proposed method makes use of an iterative sampling strategy that selects new measurement locations at spots which are deemed to contain the most valuable information-inside hotspots or in search of them-based on the prediction uncertainty of the model. The method was tested and validated in an urban subarea of Ghent, Belgium with a size of approximately 1km2. In total, 600 input and 50 validation measurements were performed using a broadband probe. Five hotspots were discovered and assessed, with maximum total electric-field strengths ranging from 1.3 to 3.1V/m, satisfying the reference levels issued by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection for exposure of the general public to RF-EMF. Spectrum analyzer measurements in these hotspots revealed five radiofrequency signals with a relevant contribution to the exposure. The radiofrequency radiation emitted by 900MHz Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) base stations was always dominant, with contributions ranging from 45% to 100%. Finally, validation of the subsequent surrogate models shows high prediction accuracy, with the final model featuring an average relative error of less than 2dB (factor 1.26 in electric-field strength), a correlation coefficient of 0.7, and a specificity of 0.96. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Plets et al. 2013 (IEEE #5291): Due to the increased use of indoor wireless networks and the concern about human exposure to radio-frequency sources, exposure awareness has increased during recent years. However, current-day network planners rarely take into account electric-field strengths when designing networks. Therefore, in this paper, a heuristic indoor network planner for exposure calculation and optimization of wireless networks is developed, jointly optimizing coverage and exposure, for homogeneous or heterogeneous networks. The implemented exposure models are validated by simulations and measurements. As a first novel optimization feature, networks are designed that do not exceed a user-defined electric-field strength value in the building. The infuence of the maximally allowed field strength, based on norms in different countries, and the assumed minimal separation between the access point and the human are investigated for a typical offce building. As a second feature, a novel heuristic exposure minimization algorithm is presented and applied to a wireless homogeneous WiFi and a heterogeneous WiFi-LTE femtocell network, using a new metric that is simple but accurate. Field strength reductions of a factor 3 to 6 compared to traditional network deployments are achieved and a more homogeneous distribution of the observed field values on the building floor is obtained. Also, the influence of the throughput requirement on the field strength distribution on the building floor is assessed. Moreover, it is shown that exposure minimization is more effective for high than for low throughput requirements and that high field values are more reduced than low field values. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Thielens et al. 2013 (IEEE #5352): For the first time, a personal distributed exposimeter (PDE) for radio frequency (RF) measurements is presented. This PDE is designed based on numerical simulations and is experimentally evaluated using textile antennas and wearable electronics. A prototype of the PDE is calibrated in an anechoic chamber. Compared to conventional exposimeters, which only measure in one position on the body, an excellent isotropy of 0.5 dB (a factor of 1.1) and a 95% confidence interval of 7 dB (a factor of 5) on power densities are measured. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Marin et al. 2013 (IEEE #5396): An improvement of the accuracy of dielectric measurements of the open-ended coaxial resonator method is described. The technique is based on an empirical technique for de-embedding the coupling network excited by electric probes. By this procedure, the influence of the coupling structure on the resonance can be precisely eliminated independently of the coupling conditions, which guarantees a high accuracy in the permittivity determination of materials by open-ended coaxial resonators. The technique is applicable to materials with a wide range of dielectric constants and losses. The results of dielectric measurements are compared with those obtained using other standard methods. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Lala, Cela and Kamo 2013 (IEEE #5399): This paper is motivated by the increased presence of the radio base stations, and the need to calculate the electromagnetic field near them. The debate on the effects of the electromagnetic field exposure, in line with the increased success and presence of the mobile telephony, has attracted the public interest and it has become a concern for the community. The standard procedures in place for estimation of the electromagnetic field require prior knowledge of the criteria for the field evaluation, be it near field, far field, presence of one or several base stations, the operating frequencies bands and their combinations. Aiming to have a practical method for the evaluation, the authors will try to do develop a theoretic model, on which base the authors will simulate the antenna of the base station and prepare the numeric method that will provide the baseline for the application. They will than compare the calculations for real situations for which all know the geometrical features, with the ones calculated based on a known theoretical method also knows as method of the moments MoM, simulated with NEC-2 (numerical electromagnetic code), and further more with the values measured in the field under the same conditions as the ones for the simulated environments. The results are interpreted in order to define the efficiency of the proposed method as well as to have an idea on the simplicity, accuracy and computing capacities. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Djuric et al. 2014 (IEEE #5402):The measurement procedure of the open area in situ electric field strength is presented, acquiring the real field data for testing of the Serbian electromagnetic field monitoring network (SEMONT) and its Internet portal. The SEMONT monitoring system introduces an advanced approach of wireless sensor network utilization for the continuous supervision of overall and cumulative level of electromagnetic field over the observed area. The aim of the SEMONT system is to become a useful tool for the national and municipal agencies for the environmental protection, regarding the electromagnetic pollution monitoring and the exposure assessment of the general population. Considering the public concern on the potentially harmful effects of the long-term exposure to electromagnetic radiation, as well as the public transparency principle that is incorporated into the Serbian law on non-ionizing radiation protection, the SEMONT monitoring system is designed for the long-term continuous monitoring, presenting real-time measurement results, and corresponding exposure assessment over the public Internet network. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Melia et al. 2013 (IEEE #5408): We present broadband reverberation chamber measurements of the absorption cross section (ACS) of the human body averaged over all directions of incidence and angles of polarization. This frequency-dependent parameter characterizes the interactions between the body and the enclosures of reverberant environments such as aircraft cabins, and is, therefore, important for the determination of the overall Q-factor and, hence, the field strength illuminating equipment inside such enclosures. It also correlates directly with the electromagnetic exposure of occupants of reverberant environments. The average ACS of nine subjects was measured at frequencies over the range 1-8.5 GHz. For a 75-kg male, the ACS varied between 0.18 and 0.45 square meters over this range. ACS also correlated with body surface area for the subjects tested. The results agree well with computational electromagnetic simulations, but are obtained much more rapidly. We have used the obtained values of ACS to estimate the effect of passengers on the Q-factor of a typical airliner cabin. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Beekhuizen et al. 2014 (IEEE #5428): The increase in mobile communication technology has led to concern about potential health effects of radio frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) from mobile phone base stations. Different RF-EMF prediction models have been applied to assess population exposure to RF-EMF. Our study examines what input data are needed to accurately model RF-EMF, as detailed data are not always available for epidemiological studies. We used NISMap, a 3D radio wave propagation model, to test models with various levels of detail in building and antenna input data. The model outcomes were compared with outdoor measurements taken in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Results showed good agreement between modelled and measured RF-EMF when 3D building data and basic antenna information (location, height, frequency and direction) were used: Spearman correlations were >0.6. Model performance was not sensitive to changes in building damping parameters. Antenna-specific information about down-tilt, type and output power did not significantly improve model performance compared with using average down-tilt and power values, or assuming one standard antenna type. We conclude that 3D radio wave propagation modelling is a feasible approach to predict outdoor RF-EMF levels for ranking exposure levels in epidemiological studies, when 3D building data and information on the antenna height, frequency, location and direction are available. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Thors et al. 2014 (IEEE #5455): In this paper, different methods for practical numerical radio frequency exposure compliance assessments of radio base station products were investigated. Both multi-band base station antennas and antennas designed for multiple input multiple output (MIMO) transmission schemes were considered. For the multi-band case, various standardized assessment methods were evaluated in terms of resulting compliance distance with respect to the reference levels and basic restrictions of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection. Both single frequency and multiple frequency (cumulative) compliance distances were determined using numerical simulations for a mobile communication base station antenna transmitting in four frequency bands between 800 and 2600 MHz. The assessments were conducted in terms of root-mean-squared electromagnetic fields, whole-body averaged specific absorption rate (SAR) and peak 10 g averaged SAR. In general, assessments based on peak field strengths were found to be less computationally intensive, but lead to larger compliance distances than spatial averaging of electromagnetic fields used in combination with localized SAR assessments. For adult exposure, the results indicated that even shorter compliance distances were obtained by using assessments based on localized and whole-body SAR. Numerical simulations, using base station products employing MIMO transmission schemes, were performed as well and were in agreement with reference measurements. The applicability of various field combination methods for correlated exposure was investigated, and best estimate methods were proposed. Our results showed that field combining methods generally considered as conservative could be used to efficiently assess compliance boundary dimensions of single- and dual-polarized multicolumn base station antennas with only minor increases in compliance distances. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Beekhuizen et al. 2014 (IEEE #5457): The increase in mobile communication technology has led to concern about potential health effects of radio frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) from mobile phone base stations. Different RF-EMF prediction models have been applied to assess population exposure to RF-EMF. Our study examines what input data are needed to accurately model RF-EMF, as detailed data are not always available for epidemiological studies. We used NISMap, a 3D radio wave propagation model, to test models with various levels of detail in building and antenna input data. The model outcomes were compared with outdoor measurements taken in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Results showed good agreement between modelled and measured RF-EMF when 3D building data and basic antenna information (location, height, frequency and direction) were used: Spearman correlations were >0.6. Model performance was not sensitive to changes in building damping parameters. Antenna-specific information about down-tilt, type and output power did not significantly improve model performance compared with using average down-tilt and power values, or assuming one standard antenna type. We conclude that 3D radio wave propagation modelling is a feasible approach to predict outdoor RF-EMF levels for ranking exposure levels in epidemiological studies, when 3D building data and information on the antenna height, frequency, location and direction are available. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Thielens et al. 2014 (IEEE #5562): Two radio-frequency personal exposimeters (PEMs) worn on both hips are calibrated on a subject in an anechoic chamber. The PEMs' response and crosstalk are determined for realistically polarised incident electric fields using this calibration. The 50 % confidence interval of the PEMs' response is reduced (2.6 dB on average) when averaged over both PEMs. A significant crosstalk (up to a ratio of 1.2) is measured, indicating that PEM measurements can be obfuscated by crosstalk. Simultaneous measurements with two PEMs are carried out in Ghent, Belgium. The highest exposure is measured for Global System for Mobile Communication downlink (0.052 mW m2 on average), while the lowest exposure is found for Universal Mobile Telecommunications System uplink (0.061 ¼W m2 on average). The authors recommend the use of a combination of multiple PEMs and, considering the multivariate data, to provide the mean vector and the covariance matrix next to the commonly listed univariate summary statistics, in future PEM studies. Tesanovic et al. 2014 (IEEE #5707): The purpose of the LEXNET (Low EMF Exposure Networks) is to develop effective mechanisms to reduce 50% (at least) of the public exposure to EMF, without compromising the quality of service. Joe Wiart (France) is the coordinator of the project that involves 17 partners from 9 European countries. AUTHOR'S CONCLUSIONS: Roblin 2014 (IEEE #5716): The presented results confirm that the dispersion of measurements collected by exposimeters is large. It shows that resorting to a non polarimetric combined signal tends to improve the isotropy, but that taking account of the propagation channel is mandatory in order to correctly assess the field measurement reliability. Anyway, corrections schemes are required to overcome the body shadowing effect which is dominant. This aspect will be thoroughly studied in future works. To complete these first results, a comprehensive simulation campaign is on-going in the framework of the Lexnet project. Its objective is to take into account other significant parameters such as anthropometric characteristics (size, corpulence, or BMI), as it is expected that their impact on shadowing effects would be significant. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Zhao and Chen 2014 (IEEE #5733): An efficient algorithm is proposed to analyze the electromagnetic scattering problem from a high resolution head model with pixel data format. The algorithm is based on parallel technique and the conjugate gradient (CG) method combined with the fast Fourier transform(FFT).Using the parallel CG-FFT method, the proposed algorithm is very efficient and can solve very electrically large-scale problems which cannot be solved using the conventional CG-FFT method in a personal computer. The accuracy of the proposed algorithm is verified by comparing numerical results with analytical Mie-series solutions for dielectric spheres.Numerical experiments have demonstrated that the proposed method has good performance on parallel efficiency. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Sidi et al. 2014 (IEEE #5775): This paper focuses on the exposure to Radio Frequency (RF) Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) and on optimization methods to reduce it. Within the FP7 LEXNET project, an Exposure Index (EI) has been defined that aggregates the essential components that impact exposure to EMF. The EI includes, among other, downlink (DL) exposure induced by the base stations (BSs) and access points, the uplink (UL) exposure induced by the devices in communication, and the corresponding exposure time. Motivated by the EI definition, this paper develops stochastic approximation based self-optimizing algorithm that dynamically adapts the network to reduce the EI in a heterogeneous network with macro- and small cells. It is argued that the increase of the small cells coverage can, to a certain extent, reduce the EI, but above a certain limit, will deteriorate DL QoS. A load balancing algorithm is formulated that adapts the small cells coverage based on UL loads and a DL QoS indicator. The proof of convergence of the algorithm is provided and its performance in terms of EI reduction is illustrated through extensive numerical simulations. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Colombi et al. 2014 (IEEE #5778): In this study, an experimental method has been investigated for efficient assessments of whole-body specific absorption rates (SAR) from radio base station antennas. Using surface amplitude measurements of the electric field components together with an integral equation technique, a method is obtained which is not biased to specific antenna designs or phantom shapes. For realistic material parameters, it has been found that only the amplitude of the tangential field components over the phantom boundary is needed to accurately assess whole-body SAR, which makes the proposed method well suited for integration with commercially available SAR measurement systems. The method has been validated with simulations and measurements. Compared with a volumetric scan, and for the cases investigated, the measurement time was reduced with a factor larger than 3 while keeping the relative error smaller than 8%. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Beekhuizen et al. 2014 (IEEE #5789): Background With the increased availability of spatial data and computing power, spatial prediction approaches have become a standard tool for exposure assessment in environmental epidemiology. However, such models are largely dependent on accurate input data. Uncertainties in the input data can therefore have a large effect on model predictions, but are rarely quantified. Methods With Monte Carlo simulation we assessed the effect of input uncertainty on the prediction of radio-frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) from mobile phone base stations at 252 receptor sites in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The impact on ranking and classification was determined by computing the Spearman correlations and weighted Cohenós Kappas (based on tertiles of the RF-EMF exposure distribution) between modelled values and RF-EMF measurements performed at the receptor sites. Results The uncertainty in modelled RF-EMF levels was large with a median coefficient of variation of 1.5. Uncertainty in receptor site height, building damping and building height contributed most to model output uncertainty. For exposure ranking and classification, the heights of buildings and receptor sites were the most important sources of uncertainty, followed by building damping, antenna- and site location. Uncertainty in antenna power, tilt, height and direction had a smaller impact on model performance. Conclusions We quantified the effect of input data uncertainty on the prediction accuracy of an RF-EMF environmental exposure model, thereby identifying the most important sources of uncertainty and estimating the total uncertainty stemming from potential errors in the input data. This approach can be used to optimize the model and better interpret model output. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: de Miguel-Bilbao et al. 2015 (IEEE #5856): Personal exposure meters (PEMs) used for measuring exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) are typically used in epidemiological studies. As is well known, these measurement devices cause a perturbation of real EMF exposure levels due to the presence of the human body in the immediate proximity. This paper aims to model the alteration caused by the body shadow effect (BSE) in motion conditions and in indoor enclosures at the Wi-Fi frequency of 2.4 GHz. For this purpose, simulation techniques based on ray-tracing have been carried out, and their results have been verified experimentally. A good agreement exists between simulation and experimental results in terms of electric field (E-field) levels, and taking into account the cumulative distribution function (CDF) of the spatial distribution of amplitude. The KolmogorovSmirnov (KS) test provides a P-value greater than 0.05, in fact close to 1. It has been found that the influence of the presence of the human body can be characterized as an angle of shadow that depends on the dimensions of the indoor enclosure. The CDFs show that the E-field levels in indoor conditions follow a lognormal distribution in the absence of the human body and under the influence of BSE. In conclusion, the perturbation caused by BSE in PEMs readings cannot be compensated for by correction factors. Although the mean value is well adjusted, BSE causes changes in CDF that would require improvements in measurement protocols and in the design of measuring devices to subsequently avoid systematic errors. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Bamba et al. 2014 (IEEE #5860): A simple formula to determine the human average whole-body SAR (SARwb) under realistic propagation conditions is proposed in the GHz region, i.e. from 1.45 GHz to 5.8 GHz. The methodology is based on simulations of ellipsoidal human body models. Only the exposure (incident power densities) and the human mass are needed to apply the formula. Diffuse scattered illumination is addressed for the first time and the possible presence of a Line-of-Sight (LOS) component is addressed as well. As validation, the formula is applied to calculate the average whole-body SARwb in 3D heterogeneous phantoms, i.e. the virtual family (34 year-old male, 26 year-old female, 11 year-old girl, and 6 year-old boy) and the results are compared with numerical onesusing the Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) methodat 3 GHz. For the LOS exposure, the average relative error varies from 28% to 12% (resp. 1412%) for the vertical polarization (resp. horizontal polarization), depending on the heteregeneous phantom. Regarding the diffuse illumination, relative errors of 39.40%, 11.70%, 10.70%, and 10.60% are obtained for the 6 year-old boy, 11 year-old girl, 26 year-old female, and 34 year-old male, respectively. The proposed formula estimates well (especially for adults) the SARwb induced by diffuse illumination in realistic conditions. In general, the correctness of the formula improves when the human mass increases. Keeping the uncertainties of the FDTD simulations in mind, the proposed formula might be important for the dosimetry community to assess rapidly and accurately the human absorption of electromagnetic radiation caused by diffuse fields in the GHz region. Finally, we show the applicability of the proposed formula to personal dosimetry for epidemiological research. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Linhares et al. 2014 (IEEE #5868): A base station (BS) antenna operates in accordance with the established exposure limits if the values of electromagnetic fields (EMF) measured in points of maximum exposure are below these limits. In the case of BS in open areas, the maximum exposure to EMF probably occurs in the antennas boresight direction, from a few tens to a few hundred meters away. This is not a typical scenery for urban environments. However, in the line of sight (LOS) situation, the region of maximum exposure can still be analytically estimated with good results. This paper presents a methodology for the choice of measurement points in urban areas in order to assess compliance with the limits for exposure to EMF. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Prieto et al. 2014 (IEEE #5875): Misinterpretation of uncertainty in the measurement of the electromagnetic field (EMF) strength may lead to an underestimation of exposure risk or an overestimation of required measurements. The Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM) has internationally been adopted as a de facto standard for uncertainty assessment. However, analyses under such an approach commonly assume unrealistic static models or neglect relevant prior information, resulting in non-robust uncertainties. This study proposes a principled and systematic framework for uncertainty analysis that fuses information from current measurements and prior knowledge. Such a framework dynamically adapts to data by exploiting a likelihood function based on kernel mixtures and incorporates flexible choices of prior information by applying importance sampling. The validity of the proposed techniques is assessed from measurements performed with a broadband radiation meter and an isotropic field probe. The developed framework significantly outperforms GUM approach, achieving a reduction of 28 % in measurement uncertainty. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Thielens et al. 2015 (IEEE #5884): This paper describes the design, calibration, and measurements with a personal, distributed exposimeter (PDE) for the on-body detection of radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields due to Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) networks. Numerical simulations show that using a combination of two RF nodes placed on the front and back of the body reduces the 50% prediction interval (PI50) on the incident free-space electric-field strength (Equation is included in full-text article.). Median reductions of 10 dB and 9.1 dB are obtained compared to the PI50 of a single antenna placed on the body using a weighted arithmetic and geometric average, respectively. Therefore, a simple PDE topology based on two nodes, which are deployed on opposite sides of the human torso, is applied for calibration and measurements. The PDE is constructed using flexible, dual-polarized textile antennas and wearable electronics, which communicate wirelessly with a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connected receiver and can be unobtrusively integrated into a garment. The calibration of the PDE in an anechoic chamber proves that the PI50 of the measured (Equation is included in full-text article.)is reduced to 3.2 dB. To demonstrate the real-life usability of the wireless device, a subject was equipped with the PDE during a walk in the city of Ghent, Belgium. Using a sample frequency of 2 Hz, an average incident power density of 59 nW m was registered in the WiFi frequency band during this walk. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Karada,Yüceer and Abbasov 2015 (IEEE #5910): The present study analyses the electric field radiating from the GSM/UMTS base stations located in central Malatya, a densely populated urban area in Turkey. The authors have conducted both instant and continuous measurements of high-frequency electromagnetic fields throughout their research by using non-ionising radiation-monitoring networks. Over 15 000 instant and 13 000 000 continuous measurements were taken throughout the process. The authors have found that the normal electric field radiation can increase <25 % during daytime, depending on mobile communication traffic. The authors research work has also demonstrated the fact that the electric field intensity values can be modelled for each hour, day or week with the results obtained from continuous measurements. The authors have developed an estimation model based on these values, including mobile communication traffic (Erlang) values obtained from mobile phone base stations and the temperature and humidity values in the environment. The authors believe that their proposed artificial neural network model and multivariable least-squares regression analysis will help predict the electric field intensity in an environment in advance. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Lopez et al. 2015 (IEEE @5984): Purpose - Since first small personal exposimeters became available, some studies have characterized personal exposition to radio frequency electromagnetic fields. The effect of body and relative position of the exposimeter have been also analyzed but some questions are still unanswered. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach  Using three personal exposimeters in four different subjects, the authors characterized and compared measurements in a controlled experiment. Findings  The authors found statistically significance differences between exposimeters and subjects due to relative position (right and left) and a control position far from the body (center). It should indicate that body and relative position of the exposimeter affect directly to the measurement, conditioning final and average results. Research limitations/implications  Measurements using personal exposimeters have to be reconsidered and controlled. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Varsier et al. 2015 (IEEE #6020): This paper presents a new metric to evaluate electromagnetic exposure induced by wireless cellular networks. This metric takes into account the exposure induced by base station antennas as well as exposure induced by wireless devices to evaluate average global exposure of the population in a specific geographical area. The paper first explains the concept and gives the formulation of the Exposure Index (EI). Then, the EI computation is illustrated through simple phone call scenarios (indoor office, in train) and a complete macro urban data long-term evolution scenario showing how, based on simulations, radio-planning predictions, realistic population statistics, user traffic data, and specific absorption rate calculations can be combined to assess the index. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Bolte, van der Zande and Kamer 2011 (IEEE #6026): In the past 5 years radiofrequency personal exposure meters have been used to characterize the exposure during daily activities. We found from calibration tests for the 12 frequency bands of the EME Spy 121 exposimeter in a Gigahertz Transverse Electromagnetic cell and an Open Area Test Site, that these measurements tend to underestimate the actual exposure. Therefore, a maximum frequency-dependent correction factor of 1.1-1.6 should be applied to the electric field. This correction factor consists of three multipliers correcting for calibration, elevation arrival angle, and influence of the body. The calibration correction factor should be determined per exposimeter, as the maximum range of response between exposimeters in a frequency band is 2.4 dB. Since the range of response for different elevation angles could reach 10.2 dB, a strict protocol for wearing the exposimeter during fieldwork should be followed to be able to compare and combine measurements made by different persons in the same microenvironments. Because the influence of the body depends on the azimuth angle of arrival, it may lead to an over- or underestimation. Thus, the body correction factor is an average over the angles and should only be applied in activities involving movement through the full 360° range of random angles of arrival. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Frei et al. 2010 (IEEE #6033): The use of personal exposure meters (exposimeters) has been recommended for measuring personal exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) from environmental far-field sources in everyday life. However, it is unclear to what extent exposimeter readings are affected by measurements taken when personal mobile and cordless phones are used. In addition, the use of exposimeters in large epidemiological studies is limited due to high costs and large effort for study participants. In the current analysis we aimed to investigate the impact of personal phone use on exposimeter readings and to evaluate different exposure assessment methods potentially useful in epidemiological studies. We collected personal exposimeter measurements during one week and diary data from 166 study participants. Moreover, we collected spot measurements in the participants' bedrooms and data on self-estimated exposure, assessed residential exposure to fixed site transmitters by calculating the geo-coded distance and mean RF-EMF from a geospatial propagation model, and developed an exposure prediction model based on the propagation model and exposure relevant behavior. The mean personal exposure was 0.13 mW/m(2), when measurements during personal phone calls were excluded and 0.15 mW/m(2), when such measurements were included. The Spearman correlation with personal exposure (without personal phone calls) was 0.42 (95%-CI: 0.29 to 0.55) for the spot measurements, -0.03 (95%-CI: -0.18 to 0.12) for the geo-coded distance, 0.28 (95%-CI: 0.14 to 0.42) for the geospatial propagation model, 0.50 (95%-CI: 0.37 to 0.61) for the full exposure prediction model and 0.06 (95%-CI: -0.10 to 0.21) for self-estimated exposure. In conclusion, personal exposure measured with exposimeters correlated best with the full exposure prediction model and spot measurements. Self-estimated exposure and geo-coded distance turned out to be poor surrogates for personal exposure. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Koprivica et al. 2015 (IEEE #6116): This paper proposes a way to assess total electric field strength by using mono-axial probe (instead of isotropic, tri-axial probe). When mono-axial probe is used, additional conversion factor should be applied. Consequently, the usage of mono-axial probe causes additional uncertainty in measurement results that should be taken into account. Measurement results for seven different environments show that the additional multiplicative conversion factor value of 1.95 should be applied and additional uncertainty in measurement results of 33.07 % should be taken into account. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Thielens et al. 2015 (IEEE #6120): For the first time, a body area network (BAN) is used to construct a personal, distributed exposimeter (PDE), which can measure the whole-body averaged specific absorption rate (SARwb) in real life, together with the incident power density (Sinc). The BAN consists of four textile antennas with integrated radio frequency receiver nodes tuned to the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) 900 downlink band. Calibration measurements at 942.5 MHz, using a human subject, are performed in an anechoic chamber. These are combined with numerical simulations to estimate both SARwb and Sinc from the averaged received power on the PDE. The PDE has 50% prediction intervals of 3 dB on Sinc and 3.3 dB on the SARwb, caused by the presence of the human body, whereas the best single textile antenna in our measurements exhibits PI50's of 7.1 dB on Sinc and 5 dB on SARwb. Measurements using the PDE are carried out in Ghent, Belgium, during which a median Sinc = 47 ¼W/m2 and SARwb = 0.25 ¼W/kg are measured. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Gustafsson et al. 2015 (IEEE #6124): Optimization of the current distribution is used to analyze how small antennas are affected by amplitude constraints on the near field and by lossy background media. The optimal antenna current that minimizes the stored energy, for a prescribed radiated field in a given direction, and with limited near field in a set of control points, is formulated as a convex optimization problem. The analysis is also extended to antennas in lossy media by using a frequency-derivative approximation of the stored energy. The results suggest that many fundamental antenna problems involving near-field constraints and lossy background media can be analyzed using convex optimization. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Kim, Choi and Gimm 2015 (IEEE #6134): Evaluation of radiating radiofrequency fields from hand-held and body-mounted wireless communication devices to human bodies are conducted by measuring the specific absorption rate (SAR). The uncertainty of system validation and probe calibration in SAR measurement depend on the variation of RF power used for the validation and calibration. RF input power for system validation or probe calibration is controlled manually during the test process of the existing systems in the laboratories. Consequently, a long time is required to reach the stable power needed for testing that will cause less uncertainty. The standard uncertainty due to this power drift is typically 2.89 %, which can be obtained by applying IEC 62209 in a normal operating condition. The principle of the Automatic Input Power Level Control System (AIPLC), which controls the equipment by a program that maintains a stable input power level, is suggested in this paper. The power drift is reduced to less than ±1.16 dB by AIPLC, which reduces the standard uncertainty of power drift to 0.67%. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Sorgucu, Develi and Ozen 2015 (IEEE #6141): The potential harmful effect of electromagnetic fields on human health is an important issue that has been widely discussed in the scientific community. The investigation of temperature rise in human body following exposure to electromagnetic fields has been found impractical in many aspects. Therefore, fabrication of the tissue-equivalent liquids (TELs) is required. TELs have been widely employed in specific absorption rate calculations, dosimetry and hyperthermia researches. In this study, two separate head tissue-equivalent liquids (HELs) were prepared for 900 and 1800 MHz frequencies. The conductivity and relative permittivity of the HEL prepared for 900 MHz frequency were found to deviate from The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards at the rates of 6.20 and 2.70 %, whereas the HEL prepared for 1800 MHz applications exhibited 1.83 and 3.22 % deviations from IEEE standards, respectively. This study provides a method for researchers to prepare their own HELs in a practical way. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Martens et al. 2016 (IEEE #6318): INTRODUCTION: Geospatial models have been demonstrated to reliably and efficiently estimate RF-EMF exposure from mobile phone base stations (downlink) at stationary locations with the implicit assumption that this reflects personal exposure. In this study we evaluated whether RF-EMF model predictions at the home address are a good proxy of personal 48h exposure. We furthermore studied potential modification of this association by degree of urbanisation. METHOD: We first used an initial NISMap estimation (at an assumed height of 4.5m) for 9563 randomly selected addresses in order to oversample addresses with higher exposure levels and achieve exposure contrast. We included 47 individuals across the range of potential RF-EMF exposure and used NISMap to re-assess downlink exposure at the home address (at bedroom height). We computed several indicators to determine the accuracy of the NISMap model predictions. We compared residential RF-EMF model predictions with personal 48h, at home, and night-time (0:00-8:00AM) ExpoM3 measurements, and with EME-SPY 140 spot measurements in the bedroom. We obtained information about urbanisation degree and compared the accuracy of model predictions in high and low urbanised areas. RESULTS: We found a moderate Spearman correlation between model predictions and personal 48h (rSp=0.47), at home (rSp=0.49), at night (rSp=0.51) and spot measurements (rSp=0.54). We found no clear differences between high and low urbanised areas (48h: high rSp=0.38, low rSp=0.55, bedroom spot measurements: high rSp=0.55, low rSp=0.50). DISCUSSION: We achieved a meaningful ranking of personal downlink exposure irrespective of degree of urbanisation, indicating that these models can provide a good proxy of personal exposure in areas with varying build-up. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Joseph et al. 2016 (IEEE #6344): For the first time, a method to assess radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure of the general public in real environments with a true free-space antenna system is presented. Using lightweight electronics and multiple antennas placed on a drone, it is possible to perform exposure measurements. This technique will enable researchers to measure three-dimensional RF-EMF exposure patterns accurately in the future and at locations currently difficult to access. A measurement procedure and appropriate measurement settings have been developed. As an application, outdoor measurements are performed as a function of height up to 60 m for Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) 900 MHz base station exposure. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Lecoutere et al. 2016 (IEEE #6353): With the breakthrough of the Internet of Things and the steady increase of wireless applications in the daily environment, the assessment of radio frequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) exposure is key in determining possible health effects of exposure to certain levels of RF-EMF. This paper presents the first experimental validation of a novel personal exposimeter system based on a distributed measurement approach to achieve higher measurement quality and lower measurement variability than the commonly used single point measurement approach of existing exposimeters. An important feature of the system is the integration of inertial sensors in order to determine activity and posture during exposure measurements. The system is designed to assess exposure to frequencies within the 389 to 464, 779 to 928 and 2400 to 2483.5 MHz bands using only two transceivers per node. In this study, the 2400 to 2483.5 MHz band is validated. Every node provides antenna diversity for the different bands in order to achieve higher sensitivity at these frequencies. Two AAA batteries power each standalone node and as such determine the node hardware size of this proof of concept (53 mm×25 mm×15 mm) , making it smaller than any other commercially available exposimeter. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Meyne et al. 2015 (IEEE #6366): The nondestructive characterization of biological liquids and cell suspensions using electromagnetic waves in the microwave frequency range calls for accurate and sensitive measurement devices. Especially when reducing the sample volume, the sensitivity becomes a critical design parameter for broadband sensors. In this paper, a miniaturized transmission-line sensor based on a coplanar waveguide is used to characterize the permittivity of nanoliter volumes of biologically relevant liquids and cell suspensions. The sensor's sensitivity is increased by means of electrically small discontinuities within the sensing section. The biological samples are guided across the sensor in a microfluidic channel, which is fabricated using microsystems technology. The sensor is used between 850 MHz and 40 GHz to detect the broadband permittivity of liquid samples such as aqueous salt and protein solutions. The experimentally detected contrast between living and dead Chinese hamster ovary cells in suspension is significant despite the small sample volume. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Martens et al. 2015 (IEEE #6370): BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies on the potential health effects of RF-EMF from mobile phone base stations require efficient and accurate exposure assessment methods. Previous studies have demonstrated that the 3D geospatial model NISMap is able to rank locations by indoor and outdoor RF-EMF exposure levels. This study extends on previous work by evaluating the suitability of using NISMap to estimate indoor RF-EMF exposure levels at home as a proxy for personal exposure to RF-EMF from mobile phone base stations. METHODS: For 93 individuals in the Netherlands we measured personal exposure to RF-EMF from mobile phone base stations during a 24h period using an EME-SPY 121 exposimeter. Each individual kept a diary from which we extracted the time spent at home and in the bedroom. We used NISMap to model exposure at the home address of the participant (at bedroom height). We then compared model predictions with measurements for the 24h period, when at home, and in the bedroom by the Spearman correlation coefficient (rsp) and by calculating specificity and sensitivity using the 90th percentile of the exposure distribution as a cutpoint for high exposure. RESULTS: We found a low to moderate rsp of 0.36 for the 24h period, 0.51 for measurements at home, and 0.41 for measurements in the bedroom. The specificity was high (0.9) but with a low sensitivity (0.3). DISCUSSION: These results indicate that a meaningful ranking of personal RF-EMF can be achieved, even though the correlation between model predictions and 24h personal RF-EMF measurements is lower than with at home measurements. However, the use of at home RF-EMF field predictions from mobile phone base stations in epidemiological studies leads to significant exposure misclassification that will result in a loss of statistical power to detect health effects. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Bolte et al. 2016 (IEEE #6395): Knowing the spatial and temporal trends in environmental exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields is important in studies investigating whether there are associated health effects on humans and ecological effects on plants and animals. The main objective of this study is to assess whether the RFeye car-mounted mobile measurement system used for radio frequency spectrum monitoring in The Netherlands and the United Kingdom could be of value in assessing exposure over large areas as an alternative to measuring exposure with personal exposure meters or using complex modelling techniques. We evaluated the responses of various body-worn personal exposure meters in comparison with the mobile measurement system for spectrum monitoring. The comparison was restricted to downlink mobile communication in the GSM900 and GSM1800 frequency bands. Repeated measurements were performed in three areas in Cambridge, United Kingdom and in three areas in Amersfoort, The Netherlands. We found that exposure assessments through the car-mounted measurements are at least of similar quality to exposure modelling and better than the body worn exposimeter data due to the absence of the shielding effect. The main conclusion is that the mobile measurements provide an efficient and low cost alternative particularly in mapping large areas. AUTHOR'S ABSTRACT: Gies 2016 (IEEE #6409): This paper examines the frequency response of human body-simulating impedance networks found in information and communication technology safety standards, then explores their reactions at radio frequencies used for wireless telephony. It explores the possible existence of human-body inductance, resonance and skin effect. Finally, it postulates a working model for evaluating the safety of high-power circuits operating at radio frequencies. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Degirmenci et al. 2016 (IEEE #6447): The importance of antenna arrays with beam-forming capability is expected to increase in future mobile communication systems with the ongoing development of new radio access technologies involving higher frequency bands and massive MIMO concepts. In this paper, various approximate methods for radio frequency electromagnetic field compliance assessments of radio base station products utilizing these antenna arrays are investigated with the focus on front compliance distances. For electrically large arrays, the results show that accurate compliance boundary dimensions may be obtained using a field-combining procedure of assessment results for a centrally placed element. For smaller arrays, an overall improvement in accuracy is possible by complementing the center element solution with results for a handful of selected edge and corner elements to better characterize the array behavior. Compared with a general and straightforward approach based on field combining of embedded assessment results for each element, the approximate methods allow for significant reductions of the total assessment time. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Aminzadeh et al. 2016 (IEEE #6469): For the first time, response of personal exposimeters (PEMs) is studied under diffuse field exposure in indoor environments. To this aim, both numerical simulations, using finite-difference time-domain method, and calibration measurements were performed in the range of 880-5875 MHz covering 10 frequency bands in Belgium. Two PEMs were mounted on the body of a human male subject and calibrated on-body in an anechoic chamber (non-diffuse) and a reverberation chamber (RC) (diffuse fields). This was motivated by the fact that electromagnetic waves in indoor environments have both specular and diffuse components. Both calibrations show that PEMs underestimate actual incident electromagnetic fields. This can be compensated by using an on-body response. Moreover, it is shown that these responses are different in anechoic chamber and RC. Therefore, it is advised to use an on-body calibration in an RC in future indoor PEM measurements where diffuse fields are present. Using the response averaged over two PEMs reduced measurement uncertainty compared to single PEMs. Following the calibration, measurements in a realistic indoor environment were done for wireless fidelity (WiFi-5G) band. Measured power density values are maximally 8.9 mW/m(2) and 165.8 ¼W/m(2) on average. These satisfy reference levels issued by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection in 1998. Power density values obtained by applying on-body calibration in RC are higher than values obtained from no body calibration (only PEMs) and on-body calibration in anechoic room, by factors of 7.55 and 2.21, respectively. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Aerts et al. 2016 (IEEE #6521): Knowledge of spatial and temporal trends in the environmental exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) is a key prerequisite for RF-EMF risk assessment studies attempting to establish a link between RF-EMF and potential effects on human health as well as on fauna and flora. In this paper, we determined the validity of RF exposure modelling based on inner-area kriging interpolation of measurements on the surrounding streets. The results vary depending on area size and shape and structural factors; a Spearman coefficient of 0.8 and a relative error of less than 3.5dB are achieved on a data set featuring a closed measurement ring around a decently sized area (1km(2), with an average minimum distance of the encircled area to the ring of less than 100m), containing mainly low, detached buildings. In larger areas, additional inner-area sampling is advised, lowering the average minimum distance between sampled and interpolated locations to 100m, to achieve the same level of accuracy. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Yang et al. 2016 (IEEE #6536): Duty cycle is a key factor for analyzing exposure to the electromagnetic field from the wireless local area network (WLAN). In this letter, we provide an analytical method for calculating the duty cycle of WLAN in a busy period. It relates to the medium access control (MAC) mode, durations of frames, and the random back-off time.We investigate the rate change rules for calculating the durations of control frames. These durations are also crucial to the parameter setting of the instrument in measurement. We propose a calculation method of the random back-off time for a common scenario, where retransmission always occurs due to collisions or interferences. The duty cycles and the average exposure levels are analyzed and compared between two MAC modes for different transmission rates. Our study can be applied to the extrapolation and the measurement of exposure to WLAN, and compliance testing with safety guidelines. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Cheng and Monebhurrun 2017 (IEEE #6539): This paper focuses on parameter uncertainty quantification (UQ) in specific absorption rate (SAR) calculation using a computer-aided design mobile phone model. The uncertainty in SAR calculation is quantified by three nonintrusive UQ methods: unscented transformation, stochastic collocation, and nonintrusive polynomial chaos. Their performances for the cases of one and two random variables are analyzed. To simplify the UQ procedure for the case of multiple uncertain inputs, it is demonstrated that uncertainties can be combined to evaluate the parameter uncertainty of the output. To quantify the relative importance of each uncertain input parameter with respect to the uncertainty of the output, the polynomial chaos based Sobol indices method is used in SAR calculation for sensitivity analysis. The results of the investigations are presented and discussed. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Lemaire, Wiart, De Doncker 2016 (IEEE #6543): The spatial structure of the vertical component of the electric field emitted by base stations in the Brussels region (Belgium) is measured, and studied using the variogram. A relationship between the variogram shape and base station antenna density in each measurement area is found; the variogram range and sill level are shown to depend on cellular base stations antenna density, following exponential laws. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Thielens et al. 2017 (IEEE #6655): Fifth generation (5G) telecommunication networks will require more bandwidth and will use mm waves (30300 GHz). Consequently, the aperture of antennas that are used for electromagnetic field measurements will be reduced in comparison to the ones currently used for lower frequencies (0.16 GHz). In combination with existing limits on incident power density prescribed by exposure guidelines, this provides an upper limit to received powers during exposure measurements. Simultaneously, an increase in the noise floor of transmitted signals will occur. These effects limit the dynamic range of measurements to 53 dB (2 105) at 300 GHz and 73 dB (2 107) at 30 GHz, which are determined using a simplified model. Additional propagation losses that exceed this dynamic range can occur during on-body measurements. Therefore, in future wireless networks, an on-body measurement of the incident power density cannot be guaranteed using a single antenna. This effect is problematic for both occupational measurements and epidemiological studies. We propose to use multiple, dynamic antennas on the body instead. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Thielens et al. 2017 (IEEE 6694): In the future, wireless radiofrequency (RF) telecommunications networks will provide users with gigabit-per-second data rates. Therefore, these networks are evolving toward hybrid networks, which will include commonly used macro- and microcells in combination with local ultra-high density access networks consisting of so-called attocells. The use of attocells requires a proper compliance assessment of exposure to RF electromagnetic radiation. This paper presents, for the first time, such a compliance assessment of an attocell operating at 3.5 GHz with an input power of 1 mW, based on both root-mean-squared electric field strength (Erms ) and peak 10 g-averaged specific absorption rate (SAR10g ) values. The Erms values near the attocell were determined using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations and measurements by a tri-axial probe. They were compared to the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection's (ICNIRP) reference levels. All measured and simulated Erms values above the attocell were below 5.9 V/m and lower than reference levels. The SAR10g values were measured in a homogeneous phantom, which resulted in an SAR10g of 9.7 mW/kg, and used FDTD simulations, which resulted in an SAR10g of 7.2 mW/kg. FDTD simulations of realistic exposure situations were executed using a heterogeneous phantom, which yielded SAR10g values lower than 2.8 mW/kg. The studied dosimetric quantities were in compliance with ICNIRP guidelines when the attocell was fed an input power <1 mW. The deployment of attocells is thus a feasible solution for providing broadband data transmission without drastically increasing personal RF exposure. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: van Wel et al. 2017 (IEEE #6734): INTRODUCTION: Modern sensor technology makes it possible to collect vast amounts of environmental, behavioural and health data. These data are often linked to contextual information on for example exposure sources which is separately collected with considerable lag time, leading to complications in assessing transient and/or highly spatially variable environmental exposures. Context-Sensitive Ecological Momentary Assessments1 (CS-EMAs) could be used to address this. We present a case study using radiofrequency-electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) exposure as an example for implementing CS-EMA in environmental research. METHODS: Participants were asked to install a custom application on their own smartphone and to wear an RF-EMF exposimeter for 48h. Questionnaires were triggered by the application based on a continuous data stream from the exposimeter. Triggers were divided into four categories: relative and absolute exposure levels, phone calls, and control condition. After the two days of use participants filled in an evaluation questionnaire. RESULTS: 74% of all CS-EMAs were completed, with an average time of 31s to complete a questionnaire once it was opened. Participants reported minimal influence on daily activities. There were no significant differences found between well-being and type of RF-EMF exposure. CONCLUSIONS: We show that a CS-EMA based method could be used in environmental research. Using several examples involving environmental stressors, we discuss both current and future applications of this methodology in studying potential health effects of environmental factors. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Kuhn and Kuster 2010 (IEEE #6739): The paper proposes a conservative, technically rigorous, and time-effective procedure for in situ testing of compliance with radio frequency electromagnetic field (EMF) safety limits. The method employs the maximum hold hand-held sweeping technique, i.e., maximum search. The procedure is based and supported by numerical findings of the absorption caracteristics of the human body in scattered EMF environments. The equipment requirements are also discussed. We evaluated the applicability and estimated the uncertainty of the method by an interlaboratory comparison with trained and untrained measurement personnel. AUTHOR'S ABSTRACT: Fernandes 2017 (IEEE #6745): There is currently no known association between nonionizing radiation (NIR) and adverse effects on human health if the radiation level is below certain limits. Nevertheless, there is still concern about its potential effects on human health. This can influence the legislation of a country and the daily activities of a regulatory body. One way to overcome this issue is to improve the quality of information provided to the public. This article reviews how to estimate the total exposure ratio (TER) due to base station radiation and proposes a Java code and an Android app to show this information. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Diez et al. 2017 (IEEE #6758): Despite the increasing presence of wireless communications in everyday life, there exist some voices raising concerns about their adverse effects. One particularly relevant example is the potential impact of the electromagnetic field they induce on the populations health. Traditionally, very specialized methods and devices (dosimetry) have been used to assess the strength of the E-field, with the main objective of checking whether it respects the corresponding regulations. In this paper, we propose a complete novel approach, which exploits the functionality leveraged by a smart city platform. We deploy a number of measuring probes, integrated as sensing devices, to carry out a characterization embracing large areas, as well as long periods of time. This unique platform has been active for more than one year, generating a vast amount of information. We process such information, and the obtained results validate the whole methodology. In addition, we discuss the ariation of the E-field caused by cellular networks, considering additional information, such as usage statistics. Finally, we establish the exposure that can be attributed to the base stations within the scenario under analysis. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Plets et al. 2017 (IEEE #6788): This paper presents the first real-life optimization of the Exposure Index (EI). A genetic optimization algorithm is developed and applied to three real-life Wireless Local Area Network scenarios in an experimental testbed. The optimization accounts for downlink, uplink and uplink of other users, for realistic duty cycles, and ensures a sufficient Quality of Service to all users. EI reductions up to 97.5% compared to a reference configuration can be achieved in a downlink-only scenario, in combination with an improved Quality of Service. Due to the dominance of uplink exposure and the lack of WiFi power control, no optimizations are possible in scenarios that also consider uplink traffic. However, future deployments that do implement WiFi power control can be successfully optimized, with EI reductions up to 86% compared to a reference configuration and an EI that is 278 times lower than optimized configurations under the absence of power control. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Franci et al. 2017 (IEEE #6793): The Long-Term Evolution (LTE) system represents the evolution of the Universal Mobile Telecommunication System technology. This technology introduces two duplex modes: Frequency Division Duplex and Time Division Duplex (TDD). Despite having experienced a limited expansion in the European countries since the debut of the LTE technology, a renewed commercial interest for LTE TDD technology has recently been shown. Therefore, the development of extrapolation procedures optimised for TDD systems becomes crucial, especially for the regulatory authorities. This article presents an extrapolation method aimed to assess the exposure to LTE TDD sources, based on the detection of the Cell-Specific Reference Signal power level. The method introduces a ²TDD parameter intended to quantify the fraction of the LTE TDD frame duration reserved for downlink transmission. The method has been validated by experimental measurements performed on signals generated by both a vector signal generator and a test Base Transceiver Station installed at Linkem S.p.A facility in Rome. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Hwang et al. 2017 (IEEE #6794): When a personal exposure meter (PEM) is worn by a human subject, the electric-field strength measured at the PEM is affected by a body shadowing effect. In our study, a hybrid model is proposed for modeling the body shadowing effect for when the PEM is used in an outdoor environment. The hybrid model contains responses to direct and diffused waves, the factors related to the transmission path and cross-polarization discrimination,
Findings
Status		Completed With Publication
Principal Investigator
Funding Agency		?????
Country		UNITED STATES
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Comments		AUTHORS' ABSTRACT continued: AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Huang and Wiart 2017 (IEEE 6839): This article presents a simplified method, based on surrogate modeling, to evaluate the day-to-day global population exposure to radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (EMF) induced by a 4G network, from both uplink and downlink radio emissions in a typical urban city. The uncertainties of 4G-induced RF-EMF exposure of an entire population were characterized for the first time taking into account the variability linked to urban propagation environment, information and communication technology usage, EMF respectively from personal wireless devices and Evolved Node B (eNB), as well as uplink throughput. In addition, the study focuses on a sensitivity analysis in order to assess the influence of these parameters on RF-EMF exposure. Globally, results show that the 4G-induced RF-EMF exposure follows a Generalized Extreme Value distribution with an average value of 1.19×10 7 W/kg. Moreover, authors show that, contrary to what have been observed in the 3G-induced RF-EMF exposure, that is, the exposure is dominated by uplink radio emissions, results have highlighted the importance of received power density from eNB to the issue of 4G-induced RF-EMF exposure. In 4G, the uplink exposure from mobiles accounts for only 25% of global exposure, resulting from the high speed of uplink throughput. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Thors et al. 2017 (IEEE #6842): In this paper, a model for time-averaged realistic maximum power levels for the assessment of radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure for the fifth generation (5G) radio base stations (RBS) employing massive MIMO is presented. The model is based on a statistical approach and developed to provide a realistic conservative RF exposure assessment for a significant proportion of all possible downlink exposure scenarios (95th percentile) in-line with requirements in a recently developed International Electrotechnical Commission standard for RF EMF exposure assessments of RBS. Factors, such as RBS utilization, time-division duplex, scheduling time, and spatial distribution of users within a cell are considered. The model is presented in terms of a closed-form equation. For an example scenario corresponding to an expected 5G RBS product, the largest realistic maximum power level was found to be less than 15% of the corresponding theoretical maximum. For far-field exposure scenarios, this corresponds to a reduction in RF EMF limit compliance distance with a factor of about 2.6. Results are given for antenna arrays of different sizes and for scenarios with beamforming in both azimuth and elevation. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Ying et al. 2017 (IEEE #6845): Fifth generation (5G) and beyond cellular systems are expected to support multiple uplink transmit antennas. Previous research demonstrates that designing waveforms satisfying near field user exposure constraints affects the farfield data rates achievable by portable devices using multiple transmit antennas. Therefore, user exposure constraints need to be taken into account in the uplink transmission covariance matrix design (e.g., precoder design) for 5G. Specific absorption rate (SAR) is a widely accepted user exposure measurement used in wireless communication regulations throughout the world. In this paper, we perform sum-rate analysis for a multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) system with SAR constraints enforced at each user. The maximum achievable sum rates for various channel state information at the transmitter (CSIT) scenarios are studied in this paper. The SAR-aware MIMO transmission methods are based on the modified waterfilling algorithm. Simulation results show our proposed methods outperform the conventional transmission strategy for the two user case. AUTHOR'S ABSTRACT: Zhao 2017 (IEEE #6853): An extrapolation method was proposed to increase the calculation efficiency and the accuracy of the incident power and specific absorption rate (SAR) in resonant exposure setups. The stable incident power and SAR were derived by observing the oscillating E-field envelope recorded during the finite-difference time-domain calculation. The extrapolation method was validated when applied to a waveguide loaded with two or four 35-mm-diameter Petri dishes at the H-field maximum for the resonant exposure at 1800 MHz. With the extrapolation, the computational time was reduced by 80% to derive the incident power with the error reduction of 93%, as compared to the calculation with the current mechanism until the accepted wave stability. For the SAR, the computational time was reduced by 77%. With the proper position and weighting of the E-field samples, the error of the averaged SAR in the cell monolayer was reduced from 4.62% to 1.31%. The proposed method applies to the scenario where the resonant frequency of the loaded setup drifts away from the driven frequency so that an oscillating E-field envelope is available. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Yu, Yang and Sim 2018 (IEEE #6905): The design of a novel practical 28 GHz beam steering phased array antenna for future fifth generation mobile device applications is presented in this communication. The proposed array antenna has 16 cavity-backed slot antenna elements that are implemented via the metallic back casing of the mobile device, in which two eight-element phased arrays are built on the left- and right-side edges of the mobile device. Each eight-element phased array can yield beam steering at broadside and gain of >15 dBi can be achieved at boresight. The measured 10 dB return loss bandwidth of the proposed cavity-backed slot antenna element was approximately 27.530 GHz. In addition, the impacts of users hand effects are also investigated. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Wen et al. 2017 (IEEE #6911): A new miniature circular high-impedance surface (HIS) is used to design a compact and low-profile multi-in multi-out (MIMO) antenna for wearable applications. The antenna is designed to operate from 2.4 to 2.49 GHz for wireless local area network application. By employing a pair of degenerated characteristic modes of a circular loop antenna, the MIMO antenna can achieve a good port-to-port isolation (>15 dB) without increasing its geometric size. A four-element HIS is chosen to match the antenna profile, and a 2 dBi antenna gain improvement is observed. The design was optimized considering the effect of packaging and then a prototype with the optimal parameters was fabricated and tested. Measurement results are in good agreement with simulation results. Furthermore, the loading effect due to lossy human tissue is also considered and the results show that the antenna has a robust performance against the human phantom and a low specific absorption rate can also be obtained. AUTHORS'ABSTRACT: Christ et al. 2022 (#9092): In this study, we investigate the absorption of the electric (E-) field induced in homogeneous biological tissue exposed to highly localized field sources, such as the charged tips of antennas, in proximity to the body, where E-field coupling dominates. These conditions are relevant for compliance testing of modern mobile phones, for which exposure is evaluated under conditions of a small separation between the radiator and the body. We derive an approximation that characterizes the decay of the induced E-field in the tissue as a function of distance. The absorption is quantified in terms of the local specific absorption rate (SAR) at the tissue surface as a function of the charge at the antenna tip. The approximation is based on the analytical evaluation of the E-fields of a charged disk under quasi-static conditions. We validate this approximation using full-wave simulations of dipoles. We demonstrate that the coupling mechanism of the E-field is dominated by the perpendicular field component, and that wave propagation need not be considered for the characterization of the exposure. The surface SAR decreases approximately with the 4th power of the distance and with the square of the ratio of the permittivities of the tissue and free-space. The approximation allows the induced maximum E-field to be predicted with an accuracy of better than 1.5 dB. The scientific and technical impact of the study can be summarized as: Capacitive coupling is dominant for electrically small antenna elements located close to the exposed tissue, whereas inductive coupling dominates at distances of a few millimeters or more The attenuation of the capacitively coupled E-fields in the tissue reaches the 4th power of the distance and is significantly higher than that of inductive coupling In the tissue, the amplitude of the perpendicular incident E-field is reduced by up to 60 dB in the extremely low frequency range because of the large contrast in dielectric properties of the tissue compared to free space For applications operating in the low MHz range, such as wireless chargers, exposure due to capacitive coupling is negligible due to the high dielectric contrast, and inductive coupling is dominant