[en] 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 1 km². 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 3.1 V/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 900 MHz 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 2 dB (factor 1.26 in electric-field strength), a correlation coefficient of 0.7, and a specificity of 0.96. -- Highlights: • We present an iterative measurement and modeling method for outdoor RF-EMF exposure. • Hotspots are rapidly identified, and accurately characterized. • An accurate graphical representation, or heat map, is created, using kriging. • Random validation shows good correlation (0.7) and low relative errors (2 dB)

[en] The goal of this paper is to experimentally assess the field enhancement and hotspot size of radio frequency electromagnetic fields created by the Maximum Ratio Combining (MRC) pre-coding scheme using lab measurements at 3.5, 5.5 and 11 GHz. MRC is an adaptive pre-coding scheme used by Massive Multiple Input Multiple Output systems, one of the enabling techniques of the fifth generation of telecommunications (5G). A virtual antenna array was used to compare MRC with two passive pre-coding schemes: the Random Phase Model (RPM) and the Centerline Beam Model (CBM). The field enhancement going from CBM to MRC was largest in obstructed line of sight (OLOS), ranging from 1.9 to 7.4 dB. The field enhancement going from RPM to MRC was about 9.5 dB across frequency bands in both line of sight (LOS) and OLOS. The hotspot size, quantified by the full width at half maximum (FWHM), ranged from 0.5 wavelengths to one wavelength. (authors)

[en] The indoor coverage of a mobile service can be drastically improved by deployment of an indoor femto-cell base station (FBS). However, the impact of its proximity on the total exposure of the human body to radio-frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (EMFs) is unknown. Using a framework designed for the combination of near-field and far-field exposure, the authors assessed and compared the RF-EMF exposure of a mobile-phone (MP) user that is either connected to an FBS or a conventional macrocell base station while in an office environment. It is found that, in average macrocell coverage and MP use-time conditions and for Universal Mobile Telecommunications System technology, the total exposure can be reduced by a factor of 20-40 by using an FBS, mostly due to the significant decrease in the output power of the MP. In general, the framework presented in this study can be used for any exposure scenario, featuring any number of technologies, base stations and/or access points, users and duration. (authors)

[en] In this study, in situ exposure assessment of both electric and magnetic fields of different intermediate frequency (IF) sources is investigated. The authors investigated smart boards and touch-screens, energy-saving bulbs, fluorescent lamps, a portable hearing unit and an electro-surgical unit (ESU). For most of these sources, the electric field is the dominating quantity. International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection reference levels are exceeded for touch-screens (44 kHz: up to 155.7 V m^-1 at 5 cm), energy-saving bulbs (38-52 kHz: up to 117.3 V m^-1), fluorescent lamps (52 kHz: up to 471 V m^-1 at 5 cm) and ESUs (up to 920 kHz: 792 V m^-1 at 0.5 cm). Magnetic field strengths up to 1.8 and 10.5 A m^-1 were measured close to the ESU and portable hearing unit (69 V m^-1), respectively. Large differences of measured field values exist among the various operating modes of the IF equipment. Compliance distances for general public range from 15.3 cm (touch-screen) to 25 cm (fluorescent lamps). (authors)

[en] In this paper, for the first time a heuristic network calculator for both whole-body exposure due to indoor base station antennas or access points (down-link exposure) and localised exposure due to the mobile device (uplink exposure) in indoor wireless networks is presented. As an application, three phone call scenarios are investigated (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) macro-cell, UMTS femto-cell and WiFi voice-over-IP) and compared with respect to the electric-field strength and localised specific absorption rate (SAR) distribution. Prediction models are created and successfully validated with an accuracy of 3 dB. The benefits of the UMTS power control mechanisms are demonstrated. However, dependent on the macro-cell connection quality and on the user's average phone call connection time, also the macro-cell solution might be preferential from an exposure point of view for the considered scenario. (authors)

[en] In situ exposure of electric fields of 11 microwave ovens is assessed in an occupational environment and in an office. Measurements as a function of distance without load and with a load of 275 ml of tap water were performed at distances of <1 m. The maximal measured field was 55.2 V m"-"1 at 5 cm from the oven (without load), which is 2.5 and 1.1 times below the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection reference level for occupational exposure and general public exposure, respectively. For exposure at distances of >1 m, a model of the electric field in a realistic environment is proposed. In an office scenario, switching on a microwave oven increases the median field strength from 91 to 145 mV m"-"1 (+91 %) in a traditional Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) deployment and from 44 to 92 mV m"-"1 (+109 %) in an exposure-optimised WLAN deployment. (authors)

[en] 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 test-bed. The optimization accounts for down-link, 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 down-link-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)

[en] Highlights: • A year's worth of RF-EMF data is collected in an urban sensor network is analysed. • A full spatio-temporal model of the RF-EMF exposure in the study area is built. • Short-term variations of the RF-EMF exposure are collected in temporal profiles. • Models using data collected at different instants are improved by adjusting for time. As both the environment and telecommunications networks are inherently dynamic, our exposure to environmental radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (EMF) at an arbitrary location is not at all constant in time. In this study, more than a year's worth of measurement data collected in a fixed low-cost exposimeter network distributed over an urban environment was analysed and used to build, for the first time, a full spatio-temporal surrogate model of outdoor exposure to downlink Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) signals. Though no global trend was discovered over the measuring period, the difference in measured exposure between two instances could reach up to 42 dB (a factor 12,000 in power density). Furthermore, it was found that, taking into account the hour and day of the measurement, the accuracy of the surrogate model in the area under study was improved by up to 50% compared to models that neglect the daily temporal variability of the RF signals. However, further study is required to assess the extent to which the results obtained in the considered environment can be extrapolated to other geographic locations.

[en] A fast method to assess radiofrequency (RF) radiation absorption in humans present in realistic indoor environments is proposed. The only required inputs are the room characteristics and the weight and position of the human with respect to the electromagnetic source. The method is compared and validated with full finite-difference time-domain simulations. Various realistic scenarios are investigated, in which one to six human phantoms are present. Whole-body power absorption ranges from 23.5 to 85.9 μW kg"-"1 with a median deviation of ∼3.1 dB (51 %). While this difference may appear large, it is out-balanced by a calculation time of less than a second for the proposed method compared with ∼17.5 h for a single full-wave electromagnetic simulation. (authors)

[en] We optimized the MR-compatibility of a novel tungsten collimator, produced with metal additive manufacturing that is part of a microSPECT insert for a preclinical SPECT/MRI scanner. We characterized the current density due to the gradient field and adapted the collimators by smart design to reduce the induced eddy currents. The z-gradient coil and the collimator were modeled with SEMCAD. The gradient strength was 510 mT/m, the gradient efficiency was about 3.4 mT/m/A. The setup was simulated with a working frequency of 10 kHz. The system consists of 7 identical collimators and digital silicon photomultipliers assembled in a ring. We evaluated the global reduction in current density J (reduction) based on the sum of all current densities in the collimator. We applied the following optimizations on the collimator: 1. We reduced the excessive material in the flanges. 2. We applied horizontal slits of 2 mm in the collimator surface. 3. We reduced material in the core; the photons are attenuated before they reach the core. The collimator will need a supporting structure. 4. The supporting structure can be avoided by using two vertical slits in the middle of the collimator. 5. We used a Z-shaped slit instead of the vertical slit. Results of simulations show that smaller flanges reduce the current density with 23%. The horizontal slits reduce the eddy currents with 6%. Using less material in the core or applying vertical slits results in the same reduction of current density. However, the vertical slits are cheaper because a hollow collimator requires supporting structures during production. Both can be combined if z-shaped slits are used to prevent attenuation problems. The reduction is then 27%. Finally, when all previous adaptations are combined, the reduction in eddy currents is about 56.3%.