Simulating and Modeling the Signal Attenuation of Wireless Local Area Network for Indoor Positioning

Location is a key filter for mobile services, including navigation or advertising. However, positioning and localization inside buildings and in indoor spaces, where users spend most of their time and where the signals of the most widely-used positioning system, i.e. Global Navigation Satellite Systems such as GPS (Global Positioning System), are not available, can be challenging. In this regard, Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), e.g. Wi-Fi, can be used for positioning purposes by using a WLAN-enabled device, e.g. a smartphone, to measure and match the Received Signal Strength (RSS) of a signal broadcast by an access point. The challenges of this approach are that accurate maps of RSS are required, and that measuring RSS can be affected by many factors, including the dynamics of the environment and the orientation and type of a device. This paper provides a path-loss model to produce RSS maps automatically from floor plans and introduces an agent-based simulation approach to investigate different positioning methods. This provides a pathway to reduce the time and effort associated with WLAN positioning research

Simulating and Modeling the Signal Attenuation of Wireless Local Area Network for Indoor Positioning

Location is a key filter for mobile services, including navigation or advertising. However, positioning and localization inside buildings and in indoor spaces, where users spend most of their time and where the signals of the most widely-used positioning system, i.e. Global Navigation Satellite Systems such as GPS (Global Positioning System), are not available, can be challenging. In this regard, Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), e.g. Wi-Fi, can be used for positioning purposes by using a WLAN-enabled device, e.g. a smartphone, to measure and match the Received Signal Strength (RSS) of a signal broadcast by an access point. The challenges of this approach are that accurate maps of RSS are required, and that measuring RSS can be affected by many factors, including the dynamics of the environment and the orientation and type of a device. This paper provides a path-loss model to produce RSS maps automatically from floor plans and introduces an agent-based simulation approach to investigate different positioning methods. This provides a pathway to reduce the time and effort associated with WLAN positioning research

Tubulin nucleotide status controls Sas-4-dependent pericentriolar material recruitment

Regulated centrosome biogenesis is required for accurate cell division and for maintaining genome integrity1. Centrosomes consist of a centriole pair surrounded by a protein network known as pericentriolar material (PCM)1. PCM assembly is a tightly regulated, critical step that determines a centrosome’s size and capability2–4. Here, we report a role for tubulin in regulating PCM recruitment via the conserved centrosomal protein Sas-4. Tubulin directly binds to Sas-4; together they are components of cytoplasmic complexes of centrosomal proteins5,6. A Sas-4 mutant, which cannot bind tubulin, enhances centrosomal protein complex formation and has abnormally large centrosomes with excessive activity. These suggest that tubulin negatively regulates PCM recruitment. Whereas tubulin-GTP prevents Sas-4 from forming protein complexes, tubulin-GDP promotes it. Thus, tubulin’s regulation of PCM recruitment depends on its GTP/GDP-bound state. These results identify a role for tubulin in regulating PCM recruitment independent of its well-known role as a building block of microtubules7. Based on its guanine bound state, tubulin can act as a molecular switch in PCM recruitment

Making tourist guidance systems more intelligent, adaptive and personalised using crowd sourced movement data

Ambient intelligence (AmI) provides adaptive, personalized, intelligent, ubiquitous and interactive services to wide range of users. AmI can have a variety of applications, including smart shops, health care, smart home, assisted living, and location-based services. Tourist guidance is one of the applications where AmI can have a great contribution to the quality of the service, as the tourists, who may not be very familiar with the visiting site, need a location-aware, ubiquitous, personalised and informative service. Such services should be able to understand the preferences of the users without requiring the users to specify them, predict their interests, and provide relevant and tailored services in the most appropriate way, including audio, visual, and haptic. This paper shows the use of crowd sourced trajectory data in the detection of points of interests and providing ambient tourist guidance based on the patterns recognised over such data

Virtual spatial diversity antenna for GNSS-based mobile positioning in the harsh environments

Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) is the most commonly used positioning technology for many Location Based Services (LBS) including navigation. However, GNSS applications are limited to outdoors as GNSS signals can get blocked and attenuated inside or between buildings, making positioning unreliable, inaccurate or impossible. Blockage of GNSS signals may result in the lack of availability of the minimum of four satellites in-view at each epoch, for a single constellation GNSS positioning, and consequently, lead to a failure in the continuity of the positioning service. This is a particularly common issue in urban canyon and indoors. This paper proposes and implements a framework to handle this challenge by virtually distribute the antenna in space and time and accumulate the measurements while adding some unknowns to solve the synchronization and the position solution. To test the proposed technique, Virtual Spatial Diversity Antenna (VSDA), raw GNSS measurements are captured using an Android 7.1.1. running smartphone over the period of forty-seven minutes. Then the observations are accumulated until the number of measurements outcounts the number of unknown, i.e. three position components plus the number of epochs. The results of the GPS-only measurements for a relatively limited period of 47 minutes, where satellite geometry may not significantly change, prove the feasibility of solving position solution in presence of fewer than four satellites at each epoch using VSDA scheme, and achieving the horizontal and vertical accuracy of 47.16 m and 68.45m, respectively

Glycemic status and macronutrient intake as predictors of sleep outcomes: an analysis of NHANES 2007–2020 data

BackgroundEmerging evidence suggests that glycemic status and dietary intake are associated with sleep duration and quality.ObjectiveTo examine associations between glycemic status, diabetes control, macronutrient energy distribution, and sleep outcomes among participants of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).MethodsSleep and dietary variables, including sleep duration (short/normal/extended), trouble sleeping, diagnosed sleep disorder, and macronutrient intake, were obtained from the cross-sectional US NHANES 2007–2020. Glycemic status was defined by self-reported diabetes history and measured HbA₁c. Multivariable adjusted multinomial logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for sleep outcomes associated with glycemic status, diabetes control, and macronutrient intake.ResultsIndividuals with diabetes were more likely to have sleep disorders (OR: 1.61; 95% CI: 1.34–1.93) and trouble sleeping (OR: 1.37; 95% CI: 1.23–1.53) compared to those with normoglycemia. They also showed abnormal sleep durations, with 21% higher odds of short sleep (95% CI: 1.08–1.35) and 37% higher odds of extended sleep (95% CI: 1.12–1.66). Among participants with diabetes, maintaining HbA₁c < 6.5% was associated with 27% higher odds of trouble sleeping (95% CI: 1.05–1.54) versus those with 6.5% ≤ HbA₁c < 9.0%. Macronutrient distribution was differently associated with sleep across glycemic statuses. In individuals with diabetes, low protein intake was associated with higher odds of sleep disorder diagnosis (OR: 2.43; 95% CI: 1.06–5.61). A low-carbohydrate, high-fat intake was associated with lower odds of short sleep duration (OR: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.62–0.98). Among individuals with prediabetes, low-protein diets, particularly when combined with high fat intake, were associated with approximately 2- to 3-fold higher odds of extended sleep duration (OR: 2.04; 95% CI: 1.02–4.08; OR: 2.88; 95% CI: 1.30–6.36). In normoglycemic individuals, similar macronutrient energy distribution patterns were associated with both short and long sleep duration, compared with balanced diets.ConclusionThese findings highlight the importance of considering glycemic status and diet in relation to sleep. This study adds to growing evidence that metabolic health and nutrition influence sleep and may guide future interventions to improve sleep through targeted dietary strategies

Association between paraoxonase-1 gene promoter T (-107) C polymorphism and coronary artery disease

Background: Paraoxonase-1(PON1), a high-density lipoprotein (HDL) associated enzyme, is believed to contribute in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease (CAD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of PON1 promoter C (-107)T polymorphism with the extent of coronary artery stenosis in Iranian patients. Methods: The RFLP analysis for determination of the C(-107)T genotype distribution and measurement of serum PON1 activities (Paraoxonase and Arylesterase) were performed in 99 patients. They were undergone coronary angiography to determine the number of stenotic vessels and classified into three groups: single vessel disease (SVD), two vessels disease (2VD) and three vessels disease (3VD). Results: The C(-107)T polymorphism was significantly associated with serum arylesterase activity but not with paraoxonase activity. The CC and TT genotypes distributed inversely in SVD as compared with 3VD group. Moreover, the CC high activity genotype frequency decreased with increase of stenotic vessels in patients. Conclusion: The reduced arylesterase activity as a function from the weak promoter activity increases the stenosis severity, so that, we assume it is one of the progressive factors of atherosclerotic process in stenotic vessels

A quasi-experimental study to improve health service quality: implementing communication and self-efficacy skills training to primary healthcare workers in two counties in Iran

Background: Service satisfaction ratings from clients are a good indicator of service quality. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of communication skills and self-efficacy training for healthcare workers on clients’ satisfaction. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted in health centers of Saveh University of Medical Science in Iran. Primary Healthcare (PHC; N = 105) workers and service recipients (N = 364) were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. The intervention group received four 90-min training sessions consisting of lecture, film screening, role-playing, and discussion group. Before and 3 months after the intervention, a multi-part questionnaire (including demographics, self-efficacy and communication skills in PHC workers; and satisfaction questionnaire in service recipients) was completed by participants in both intervention and control groups. Results: PHC worker mean scores of self-efficacy and communication skills after the educational program were increased in the intervention group compared to the control group (p \u3c 0.05). Also, mean satisfaction scores for service recipients of the intervention group (PHC workers) generally significantly increased compared to the control group (p \u3c 0.001). Conclusions: The educational program improved the self-efficacy, and communication skills in health workers and improved client satisfaction overall. Our results support the application of self-efficacy and communication skills training for other medical groups who wish to improve clients satisfaction as an important health services outcome

Lateral Hypothalamic Area Glutamatergic Neurons and Their Projections to the Lateral Habenula Regulate Feeding and Reward

The overconsumption of calorically dense, highly palatable foods is thought to be a major contributor to the worldwide obesity epidemic; however, the precise neural circuits that directly regulate hedonic feeding remain elusive. Here, we show that lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) glutamatergic neurons, and their projections to the lateral habenula (LHb), negatively regulate the consumption of palatable food. Genetic ablation of LHA glutamatergic neurons increased daily caloric intake and produced weight gain in mice that had access to a high-fat diet, while not altering general locomotor activity. Anterior LHA glutamatergic neurons send a functional glutamatergic projection to the LHb, a brain region involved in processing aversive stimuli and negative reward prediction outcomes. Pathway-specific, optogenetic stimulation of glutamatergic LHA-LHb circuit resulted in detectable glutamate-mediated EPSCs as well as GABA-mediated IPSCs, although the net effect of neurotransmitter release was to increase the firing of most LHb neurons. In vivo optogenetic inhibition of LHA-LHb glutamatergic fibers produced a real-time place preference, whereas optogenetic stimulation of LHA-LHb glutamatergic fibers had the opposite effect. Furthermore, optogenetic inhibition of LHA-LHb glutamatergic fibers acutely increased the consumption of a palatable liquid caloric reward. Collectively, these results demonstrate that LHA glutamatergic neurons are well situated to bidirectionally regulate feeding and potentially other behavioral states via their functional circuit connectivity with the LHb and potentially other brain regions

Obesity remodels activity and transcriptional state of a lateral hypothalamic brake on feeding

The current obesity epidemic is a major worldwide health concern. Despite the consensus that the brain regulates energy homeostasis, the neural adaptations governing obesity are unknown. Using a combination of high-throughput single-cell RNA sequencing and longitudinal in vivo two-photon calcium imaging, we surveyed functional alterations of the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA)-a highly conserved brain region that orchestrates feeding-in a mouse model of obesity. The transcriptional profile of LHA glutamatergic neurons was affected by obesity, exhibiting changes indicative of altered neuronal activity. Encoding properties of individual LHA glutamatergic neurons were then tracked throughout obesity, revealing greatly attenuated reward responses. These data demonstrate how diet disrupts the function of an endogenous feeding suppression system to promote overeating and obesity.</p