Secure Rate-Splitting and RIS Beamforming with Untrusted Energy Harvesting Receivers

We consider a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)-assisted heterogeneous network comprising legitimate information-harvesting receivers (IHRs) and untrusted energy-harvesting receivers (UEHRs). A multi-antenna base station (BS) transmits confidential information to IHRs while ensuring sufficient energy transfer to UEHRs that may attempt eavesdropping. To enhance physical-layer security, we propose a secure rate-splitting multiple access (RSMA) scheme aided by a UAV-mounted RIS. The objective is to maximize fairness-based secrecy energy efficiency (SEE). Owing to the non-convexity of the formulated problem, we develop an alternating optimization framework that jointly designs the common message allocation, active precoders, and RIS phase shifts under transmit power and energy harvesting constraints, leveraging sequential convex approximation (SCA). Simulation results demonstrate the scalability of the proposed algorithm and its superior SEE performance compared to space-division multiple access (SDMA) and non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) benchmarks.

Robust SAC-Enabled UAV-RIS Assisted Secure MISO Systems With Untrusted EH Receivers

This paper investigates secure downlink transmission in a UAV-assisted reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)-enabled multiuser multiple-input single-output network, where legitimate information-harvesting receivers coexist with untrusted energy-harvesting receivers (UEHRs) capable of eavesdropping. A UAV-mounted RIS provides blockage mitigation and passive beamforming, while the base station employs zero-forcing precoding for multiuser interference suppression. Due to limited feedback from UEHRs, their channel state information (CSI) is imperfect, leading to a worst-case secrecy energy efficiency (WCSEE) maximization problem. We jointly optimize the UAV horizontal position, RIS phase shifts, and transmit power allocation under both perfect and imperfect CSI, considering discrete RIS phases, UAV mobility, and energy-harvesting constraints. The resulting problem is highly nonconvex due to coupled channel geometry, robustness requirements, and discrete variables. To address this challenge, we propose a soft actor-critic (SAC)-based deep reinforcement learning framework that learns WCSEE-maximizing policies through interaction with the wireless environment. As a structured benchmark, a successive convex approximation (SCA) approach is developed for the perfect CSI case with continuous RIS phases. Simulation results show that the proposed SAC method achieves up to 28% and 16% secrecy energy efficiency gains over SCA and deep deterministic policy gradient baselines, respectively, while demonstrating superior robustness to CSI uncertainty and stable performance across varying transmit power levels and RIS sizes.

Variational Bayesian Channel Estimation and Data Detection for Cell-Free Massive MIMO with Low-Resolution Quantized Fronthaul Links

We study the joint channel estimation and data detection (JED) problem in a cell-free massive multiple-input multiple-output (CF-mMIMO) network, where access points (APs) communicate with a central processing unit (CPU) over fronthaul links. However, the bandwidth of these links is limited, and thus, presents challenges to the applicability of CF-mMIMO, especially with an ever-increasing number of users. To address this, we propose a method based on variational Bayesian (VB) inference for performing the JED process, where the APs forward low-resolution quantized versions of the signals to the CPU. We consider two approaches: \emph{quantization-and-estimation} (Q-E) and \emph{estimation-and-quantization} (E-Q). In the Q-E approach, each AP uses a low-bit quantizer to quantize the signal before forwarding it to the CPU, while in the E-Q approach, each AP first performs local channel estimation and then sends a low-bit quantized version of the estimated channel to the CPU. We evaluate the performance of our VB-based approach under perfect fronthaul link (PFL) with unquantized received signals, Q-E, and E-Q in terms of symbol error rate (SER), normalized mean square error (NMSE) of the channel estimation, computational complexity, and fronthaul signaling overhead. We also compare these results with those of the linear minimum mean squared error (LMMSE) method under the PFL scenario. Our numerical results show that both the VB(Q-E) and VB(E-Q) approaches achieve superior performance compared to LMMSE(PFL), benefiting from the nonlinear modeling inherent in VB. Furthermore, the VB(Q-E) method outperforms VB(E-Q) due to errors in the local channel estimation process at the APs within the VB(E-Q) approach.

Cell-Free Massive MIMO-Assisted SWIPT for IoT Networks

This paper studies cell-free massive multiple-input multiple-output (CF-mMIMO) systems that underpin simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT) for separate information users (IUs) and energy users (EUs) in Internet of Things (IoT) networks. We propose a joint access point (AP) operation mode selection and power control design, wherein certain APs are designated for energy transmission to EUs, while others are dedicated to information transmission to IUs. The performance of the system, from both a spectral efficiency (SE) and energy efficiency (EE) perspective, is comprehensively analyzed. Specifically, we formulate two mixed-integer nonconvex optimization problems for maximizing the average sum-SE and EE, under realistic power consumption models and constraints on the minimum individual SE requirements for individual IUs, minimum HE for individual EUs, and maximum transmit power at each AP. The challenging optimization problems are solved using successive convex approximation (SCA) techniques. The proposed framework design is further applied to the average sum-HE maximization and energy harvesting fairness problems. Our numerical results demonstrate that the proposed joint AP operation mode selection and power control algorithm can achieve EE performance gains of up to $4$-fold and $5$-fold over random AP operation mode selection, with and without power control respectively.

ProFi-Net: Prototype-based Feature Attention with Curriculum Augmentation for WiFi-based Gesture Recognition

This paper presents ProFi-Net, a novel few-shot learning framework for WiFi-based gesture recognition that overcomes the challenges of limited training data and sparse feature representations. ProFi-Net employs a prototype-based metric learning architecture enhanced with a feature-level attention mechanism, which dynamically refines the Euclidean distance by emphasizing the most discriminative feature dimensions. Additionally, our approach introduces a curriculum-inspired data augmentation strategy exclusively on the query set. By progressively incorporating Gaussian noise of increasing magnitude, the model is exposed to a broader range of challenging variations, thereby improving its generalization and robustness to overfitting. Extensive experiments conducted across diverse real-world environments demonstrate that ProFi-Net significantly outperforms conventional prototype networks and other state-of-the-art few-shot learning methods in terms of classification accuracy and training efficiency.

A Transformer-based Multimodal Fusion Model for Efficient Crowd Counting Using Visual and Wireless Signals

Current crowd-counting models often rely on single-modal inputs, such as visual images or wireless signal data, which can result in significant information loss and suboptimal recognition performance. To address these shortcomings, we propose TransFusion, a novel multimodal fusion-based crowd-counting model that integrates Channel State Information (CSI) with image data. By leveraging the powerful capabilities of Transformer networks, TransFusion effectively combines these two distinct data modalities, enabling the capture of comprehensive global contextual information that is critical for accurate crowd estimation. However, while transformers are well capable of capturing global features, they potentially fail to identify finer-grained, local details essential for precise crowd counting. To mitigate this, we incorporate Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) into the model architecture, enhancing its ability to extract detailed local features that complement the global context provided by the Transformer. Extensive experimental evaluations demonstrate that TransFusion achieves high accuracy with minimal counting errors while maintaining superior efficiency.

Power-Efficient Deceptive Wireless Beamforming Against Eavesdroppers

Eavesdroppers of wireless signals want to infer as much as possible regarding the transmitter (Tx). Popular methods to minimize information leakage to the eavesdropper include covert communication, directional modulation, and beamforming with nulling. In this paper we do not attempt to prevent information leakage to the eavesdropper like the previous methods. Instead we propose to beamform the wireless signal at the Tx in such a way that it incorporates deceptive information. The beamformed orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal includes a deceptive value for the Doppler (velocity) and range of the Tx. To design the optimal baseband waveform with these characteristics, we define and solve an optimization problem for power-efficient deceptive wireless beamforming (DWB). The relaxed convex Quadratic Program (QP) is solved using a heuristic algorithm. Our simulation results indicate that our DWB scheme can successfully inject deceptive information with low power consumption, while preserving the shape of the created beam.

Sensing Rate Optimization for Multi-Band Cooperative ISAC Systems

Integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) has been recognized as one of the key technologies for future wireless networks, which potentially need to operate in multiple frequency bands to satisfy ever-increasing demands for both communication and sensing services. Motivated by this, we consider the sum sensing rate (SR) optimization for a cooperative ISAC system with linear precoding, where each base station (BS) works in a different frequency band. With this aim, we propose an optimization algorithm based on the semi-definite rank relaxation that introduces covariance matrices as optimization variables, and we apply the inner approximation (IA) method to deal with the nonconvexity of the resulting problem. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm increases the SR by approximately 25 % and 40 % compared to the case of equal power distribution in a cooperative ISAC system with two and three BSs, respectively. Additionally, the algorithm converges in only a few iterations, while its most optimal implementation scenario is in the low power regime.

Scaling Achievable Rates in SIM-aided MIMO Systems with Metasurface Layers: A Hybrid Optimization Framework

We investigate the achievable rate (AR) of a stacked intelligent metasurface (SIM)-aided holographic multiple-input multiple-output (HMIMO) system by jointly optimizing the SIM phase shifts and power allocation. Contrary to earlier studies suggesting that the AR decreases when the number of metasurface layers increases past a certain point for \emph{a fixed SIM thickness}, our findings demonstrate consistent increase. To achieve this, we introduce two problem formulations: one based on directly maximizing the AR (RMax) and the other focused on minimizing inter-stream interference (IMin). To solve the RMax problem, we apply Riemannian manifold optimization (RMO) and weighted minimum mean square error (WMMSE) methods to optimize the SIM phase shifts and power allocation alternately. For the IMin problem, we derive an efficient algorithm that iteratively updates each meta-atom's phase shift using a closed-form expression while keeping others fixed. Our key contribution is integrating these two approaches, where the IMin solution initializes the SIM phase shifts in the first algorithm. This hybrid strategy enhances AR performance across varying numbers of metasurface layers. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithms outperform existing benchmarks. Most importantly, we show that increasing the number of metasurface layers while keeping the SIM thickness fixed leads to significant AR improvements.

On the Joint Beamforming Design for Large-scale Downlink RIS-assisted Multiuser MIMO Systems

Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) have huge potential to improve spectral and energy efficiency in future wireless systems at a minimal cost. However, early prototype results indicate that deploying hundreds or thousands of reflective elements is necessary for significant performance gains. Motivated by this, our study focuses on \emph{large-scale } RIS-assisted multi-user (MU) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems. In this context, we propose an efficient algorithm to jointly design the precoders at the base station (BS) and the phase shifts at the RIS to maximize the weighted sum rate (WSR). In particular, leveraging an equivalent lower-dimensional reformulation of the WSR maximization problem, we derive a closed-form solution to optimize the precoders using the successive convex approximation (SCA) framework. While the equivalent reformulation proves to be efficient for the precoder optimization, we offer numerical insights into why the original formulation of the WSR optimization problem is better suited for the phase shift optimization. Subsequently, we develop a scaled projected gradient method (SPGM) and a novel line search procedure to optimize RIS phase shifts. Notably, we show that the complexity of the proposed method \emph{scales linearly with the number of BS antennas and RIS reflective elements}. Extensive numerical experiments demonstrate that the proposed algorithm significantly reduces both time and computational complexity while achieving higher WSR compared to baseline algorithms.