Forensic Tracking and Mobility Prediction in Vehicular Networks

Most contemporary tracking applications consider an online approach where the target is being tracked in real time. In criminal investigations, however, it is common that only offline tracking is possible, where tracking takes place after the fact; that is, given an incomplete trace of a suspect, the task is to reconstruct the missing parts and obtain the full trace. With the recent proliferation of modern transportation systems, target entities are likely to interact with different transportation means. Thus, in this paper, we first introduce a class of mobility models that has been especially tailored for forensic analysis then propose several instances emulating different transportation means. We then use these models to build a full-fledged offline multi-modal forensic tracking system that reconstructs an incomplete trace of a particular target. We provide theoretical evaluation of the reconstruction algorithm and show that it is both complete and optimal

Nesting ecology of hawksbill turtles, Eretmochelys imbricata, in an extreme environmental setting

<div><p>Relatively few details of hawksbill turtle (<i>Eretmochelys imbricata</i>) nesting ecology exist within the Arabian Gulf. Moreover, little is known about how their nesting dynamics compare to nesting populations throughout the rest of the world. Due to the extreme environmental setting, nesting ecology of hawksbills in the Arabian Gulf is of significant interest to researchers and conservationists. The current research reports on a long-term tagging and monitoring program undertaken at Fuwairit beach, Qatar. To investigate nesting behavior, site surveys and tagging were employed from 2010 to 2016. Presence of nests and clutch sizes were confirmed by excavation. Over the entire study period, nesting hawksbills had a mean curved carapace length of 70.8 cm (SD±2.8). A total 187 nests were confirmed, which contained a mean 78.9 eggs per clutch (SD±17.1), over an annual nesting season that lasted an average of 52.2 days (SD±6.3) from the start of April to the start of June. Meta-analysis with other global regions showed these characteristics to be significantly reduced when compared to nesting hawksbills from other populations. Meteorological data analysis showed air temperatures in the Arabian Gulf to increase on average 13.2°C (SD±0.26) from start to the end of nesting annually, which is significantly greater than other global nesting regions. Their smaller body size and reduced fecundity coupled with the extreme change in ambient air temperatures support the hypothesis that hawksbills in the region are more at risk than the already critically endangered hawksbill populations elsewhere in the world.</p></div

Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Satisfaction With Life of University Students in Qatar: Changes During Confinement Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study explored the effects of home confinement on physical activity (PA) and satisfaction with life (SL) among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 531 subjects participated [male: n=203; female: n=328; age: 33.1±5.2years; mass: 72.1±17.5kg; height: 1.67±0.12m; and body mass index (BMI): 25.7±5.06 kg/m2]. Online survey questions considered “before” and “during” confinement. Confinement reduced all PA intensities (ηp2=0.09–0.45, p<0.001) and increased daily sitting time (ηp2=0.58, p<0.001). The largest reduction was in moderate intensity PA [metabolic equivalent of task-minutes/week (MET), ηp2=0.45, p<0.001]. SQL decreased, with the score for “I am satisfied with my life” (ηp2=0.42, p<0.001) decreasing from 28.4±5.7 to 20.6±9.7 arbitrary units (AU). Concerning SL, the largest change was detected for “the conditions of my life are excellent” (ηp2=0.54, p<0.001). Time changes in all variables were demonstrative of large negative changes in both sexes. The difference in change between sexes was largest in terms of magnitude for the variable “the conditions of my life are excellent” (difference between groups, Δd=0.98). In sum, COVID-19 confinement reduced PA, heightened sitting time, and reduced SL in Qatar University students. This investigation could have a significant impact in developing PA guidelines for health maintainance during COVID-19 and successive pandemics in university students

Algorithmic approach for clandestine localisation and tracking in short-range environments

Target tracking applications have recently evolved becoming essential intelligence and law enforcement tools. Traditionally, long-range communications, such as cellular networks, have been used for this purpose. Such conventional tracking approach, however, usually suffers from several accuracy implications due to location measurement errors. This is exemplified in densely cluttered and indoor environments where measurements are severely affected by excessive environmental and physical noise. Additionally, most localisation and tracking mechanisms today are based on active approach where targets actively cooperate in the tracking process, or at least are aware of it. Clearly, such approach is not suitable for law enforcement applications where targets are suspects or criminals. In this paper, we adopt an algorithmic approach to build an agent-based passive tracking system. We develop a number of algorithms to initiate and maintain this tracking system while consistently preserving passivity

Energy conservation in a smart home

In recent times, developments in home automation systems have given way to the construction of smarter infrastructure. Such systems offer an easy way for users to control devices in a building. Commercially, there are several technologies that are currently being implemented for home automation purposes namely Z-Wave [1], ZigBee [2] and X10 [3]. The proprietary Z-Wave technology has various advantages and hence is used in this experiment. Research in this field has extended the capabilities of the technology into areas such as remote monitoring and control, power management, tracking & security systems and disaster warning systems. Power management has been of particular interest as it allows for a greener future and is added advantage to users as a cost-cutting measure. This paper analyses the power consumption in a standard home taking into account commonly used appliances and other devices and shows the management capabilities of a home automation system as well as an estimation of the savings in terms of power consumed and cost. The aim of the study is to measure the energy conservation across 4 homes using a Z-Wave home automation system. It is found that there is a 20.19%decrease in energy consumption when the home automation system acts to manage the power consumption of the devices in the home

Outcomes of Laparoscopic Gastric Greater Curvature Plication in Morbidly Obese Patients

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic gastric greater curvature plication (LGGCP) is a restrictive bariatric procedure without gastrectomy. However, limited literature on effectiveness of gastric plication exists. OBJECTIVES: We assessed LGGCP's efficacy, effects on associated comorbidities, safety and the rate of complications, and patient satisfaction with LGGCP's outcomes among morbidly obese patients. METHOD: Analysis of retrospectively data collected from medical records of 26 patients who had undergone LGGCP at Hamad General Hospital, Qatar, during 2011-2012. RESULTS: Most patients (92%) were Qatari nationals. The sample's mean age was 35.1 years. Mean duration of hospital stay was 3.9 ± 1.2 days. Mean preoperative BMI was 40.7 kg/m(2) that decreased at 2 years to 34.6 kg/m(2). LGGCP's effects on comorbidities were such that 7.6% of patients experienced resolutions of their comorbidities. There were no mortality or postoperative complications that required reoperation. Six patients (23%) were satisfied with the LGGCP's outcomes while 10 patients (38.5%) underwent sleeve gastrectomy subsequently. CONCLUSION: LGGCP had acceptable short term weight loss results, exhibited almost no postoperative complications, and improved patients' comorbidities. Despite the durability of the gastric fold, some patients regained weight. Future research may assess the possibility of an increase in the gastric pouch size postplication associated with weight regain.CC BY 4.0</p

Cardiac autonomic regulation as a predictor for childhood obesity intervention success

Childhood obesity is a major public health concern; behavioural interventions induce weight reduction in some, but success is variable. Heart rate variability (HRV) has been associated with impulse control and extent of dieting success. This study investigated the relationship between HRV and post childhood obesity intervention weight-management success, and involved recording the frequency-domain HRV measures ratio between low frequency and high frequency power (LF/HF) and high frequency power (HF), and the time-domain measure, percentage of successive beat-to-beat intervals that differ by more than 50ms (PNN50). It was expected that greater LF/HF and lower HF would be associated with greater post-intervention weight gain, and that greater PNN50 would be associated with greater impulse control. Seventy-four participants aged 9–14 (M=10.7; s.d.: 1.1) attended a weight-management camp, where HRV was recorded. Stop signal reaction time (SSRT) was also recorded as a measure of impulse control. As expected, SSRT was positively associated with pre-intervention body mass (r=0.301, P=0.010) and negatively associated with PNN50 (β=0.29, P=0.031). Post-intervention body mass change was positively associated with LF/HF (β=0.34, P=0.037), but was not associated with HF. Lifestyle interventions may have a greater chance of effectively supporting long-term weight-management for children with lower LF/HF; assessing HRV of obese children may be helpful in informing obesity treatment decisions