Time of Arrival Complementing Method for Cooperative Localization of a Target by Two-Node UWB Sensor Network

Recently, the detection, localization and tracking of moving persons in emergency situations using ultra-wideband (UWB) sensors have attracted the attention of researchers and final users as well. Experiences with single UWB sensors in real applications have shown that their reliability and accuracy in person detection and localization may be considerably reduced. In contrast, the improved performance of a UWB sensor-based localization system can be provided by a UWB sensor network, which benefits from cooperation among spatially distributed sensor nodes. This cooperation extends the coverage of the monitored area and improves detection capability and localization performance, especially in the case of complex environments and multiple targets. In this paper, we will introduce a new approach to cooperative localization of a target, referred to as the time of arrival complementing method (TOACOM). TOACOM, developed for a two-node UWB sensor network, is based on the time of arrival (TOA) complementing and combining algorithms in combination with the conventional direct calculation method (DC). Its properties will be analyzed for through-the-wall single moving person localization. The obtained results will show the superior performance of TOACOM as compared with person localization by a single UWB sensor, or by a two-node sensor network. In the conclusion, we will outline that the presented version of TOACOM can be further modified for a multiple target scenario and an N-node sensor network

An evaluation tool kit of air quality micro-sensing units.

Recent developments in sensory and communication technologies have made the development of portable air-quality (AQ) micro-sensing units (MSUs) feasible. These MSUs allow AQ measurements in many new applications, such as ambulatory exposure analyses and citizen science. Typically, the performance of these devices is assessed using the mean error or correlation coefficients with respect to a laboratory equipment. However, these criteria do not represent how such sensors perform outside of laboratory conditions in large-scale field applications, and do not cover all aspects of possible differences in performance between the sensor-based and standardized equipment, or changes in performance over time. This paper presents a comprehensive Sensor Evaluation Toolbox (SET) for evaluating AQ MSUs by a range of criteria, to better assess their performance in varied applications and environments. Within the SET are included four new schemes for evaluating sensors' capability to: locate pollution sources; represent the pollution level on a coarse scale; capture the high temporal variability of the observed pollutant and their reliability. Each of the evaluation criteria allows for assessing sensors' performance in a different way, together constituting a holistic evaluation of the suitability and usability of the sensors in a wide range of applications. Application of the SET on measurements acquired by 25 MSUs deployed in eight cities across Europe showed that the suggested schemes facilitates a comprehensive cross platform analysis that can be used to determine and compare the sensors' performance. The SET was implemented in R and the code is available on the first author's website.CITI-SENSE, initiated in October 2012, is a four year Collaborative Project partly funded by the EU FP7-ENV-2012 under grant agreement 308524

Jan Čulík on 20th Century Czech Literature [YouTube Video]

An informative video about the most important Czech 20th century Czech autors. An interview with Jan Čulík, Senior Lecturer in Czech Studies at the University of Glasgow. The interviewer is Michal Mráz. The video was made in March 2010 for Humbox, a British database of academic teaching resources. It was filmed, directed and produced by Dominika Švecová. The video is on YouTube here: http://youtu.be/ZTke5qaoI-I" It is also available for download from here: http://humbox.ac.uk/1923/%2020th%20centur

Jan Čulík on Czech History [YouTube Video]

An informative, twenty-minute video outlining the main historical landmarks in the history of the Czech Lands, Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. The video was recorded for Humbox, a UK database of academic teaching resources, in March 2010. It is available in full here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDE1xHpKNKU Also in Humbox, to be dowloaded, here: http://humbox.ac.uk/1924

An Interview with Professor Martin Myant on Czechoslovak/Czech Economy [YouTube Video]

This is an informative video interview, recorded for Humbox, the British database of academic teaching resources. It is available on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67Lhbq1YNMk Also on Humbox for download here: http://humbox.ac.uk/1921/ Filmed, edited and produced by Dominika Svecova

Jan Čulík Interviews Martin Pilař about 19th Century Czech Literature [YouTube Video]

This is an informative video interview about 19th century Czech literature, recorded for Humbox, a British database of academic teaching resources. It is available on YouTube here: http://youtu.be/PhBgpVJKEqk It is also available for dowload from here: http://humbox.ac.uk/1922

RECYCLING OF PRINTED ELECTRONICS PCBs ON PAPER SUBSTRATES

International audienc

Influence of genotype on biomass production and polyphenols of artichoke and cardoon

Cynara is a relatively small genus comprising two important crops: globe artichoke (C. cardunculus L. subsp. scolymus (L.) Fiori) and cultivated cardoon (C. cardunculus L. var. altilis DC.). The chemical components of artichoke leaves have been studied extensively and have been found to be a rich source of polyphenolic compounds. Nowadays, there is an increasing interest in the hydroponic floating trays system due to the advantage of cultivation of globe artichoke for leaf biomass production with shorter cycles. Three artichoke (‘Romolo’, ‘Violetto di Provenza’ and ‘Violetto di Romagna’) and three cultivated cardoon (‘Bianco Avorio’, ‘Bianco Gigante Inerme’ and ‘Gigante di Romagna’) genotypes were evaluated for their leaf dry biomass and major polyphenols. The highest leaf dry biomass was recorded in the three genotypes of cardoon followed by the two artichoke genotypes ‘Romolo’ and ‘Violetto di Provenza’. The major polyphenols present in the leaf were chlorogenic acid and cynarin, followed by luteolin, whereas apigenin was found in trace quantities. The highest concentration of chlorogenic acid was observed in ‘Violetto di Provenza’, ‘Violetto di Romagna’ and ‘Bianco Avorio’, whereas the highest luteolin concentration was found in the cardoon genotypes ‘Bianco Avorio Gigante di Romagna’. Data showed that the hydroponic floating tray is a suitable system for biomass production of globe artichoke and cultivated cardoon. They also suggest that specific genotypes should be selected to obtain the desired nutritional features

Uncertainity of fetal fraction determination in non-invasive prenatal screening by highly polymorphic SNPs

Fetal fractionandthechromosomerepresentationare the two keyquantities usedinNon-Invasive PrenatalScreening(NIPS)todeterminetheaneuploidystatusofafetus.Severalmethodsforfetalfractiondeterminationhavebeenproposedintheliterature,includingaclassofthemethods,denotedsnpFF,basedonhigh-coveragetargeted sequencing of highly polymorphic Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs). The variant of snpFF,investigatedhere,hassimilarpropertiesastheothervariantsofsnpFF.WepointoutthatthevariabilityoftheindividualinformativeSNPs-basedestimatesoffetalfractionincreaseswiththeincreaseoffetalfraction.At4%fetalfractiontheInter-QuartileRange(IQR)oftheindividualestimatesoffetalfractionisaround3%anditincreasesto6%at15%fetalfraction.snpFFcannotdetectfetalfractionbelow2.5%becausethenumberofinformativeSNPsbecomestoosmall,evenzero.L