Observability of Path Loss Parameters in WLAN-Based Simultaneous Localization and Mapping

Indoor positioning by means of received signal strengths has been gathering much interest since the massive presence of wireless local area networks (WLANs) in buildings. Theoretical approaches rely on the perfect knowledge of the APs' positions and propagation conditions; since this is unrealistic in real world, we estimate such knowledge as well as the building map from data by applying Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM). In this paper we address the joint estimation of the path loss parameters, namely the transmitted power and the path loss exponent, this latter being usually approximated in the literature by the free space value. We provide examples that show the relevance of estimating both parameters and analyze observability issues from the point of view of estimation theory. The integration of the parameter estimation in a WLAN based SLAM algorithm - WiSLAM - has been carried out and the results are discussed

Timing verification of dynamically reconfigurable logic for Xilinx Virtex FPGA series

This paper reports on a method for extending existing VHDL design and verification software available for the Xilinx Virtex series of FPGAs. It allows the designer to apply standard hardware design and verification tools to the design of dynamically reconfigurable logic (DRL). The technique involves the conversion of a dynamic design into multiple static designs, suitable for input to standard synthesis and APR tools. For timing and functional verification after APR, the sections of the design can then be recombined into a single dynamic system. The technique has been automated by extending an existing DRL design tool named DCSTech, which is part of the Dynamic Circuit Switching (DCS) CAD framework. The principles behind the tools are generic and should be readily extensible to other architectures and CAD toolsets. Implementation of the dynamic system involves the production of partial configuration bitstreams to load sections of circuitry. The process of creating such bitstreams, the final stage of our design flow, is summarized

A patch-clamp study of ion-channels in membrane vesicles prepared from the parasitic helminths Ascaris suum and Schistosoma mansoni

Ascaris lumbricoides and Schistosoma mansoni are major parasites of man in the developing world. The possible development of drug resistant strains means that continuing and improved treatments require the selection of novel target sites. Membrane ion-channels have proved to be suitable targets for many therapeutic agents. The purpose of this thesis was to further characterise distinct ion-channels present in parasite membranes. The properties of the ion-channels found in membranes of the two parasite species were assessed using standard single-channel recording techniques.Membrane vesicles prepared from the bag region of the somatic muscle cells of the parasitic nematode Ascaris suum (a close relative of A. lumbricoides) contain highconductance, voltage-sensitive, Ca-dependent chloride channels. The effect of altered pH on these channels was investigated using the patch-clamp technique and isolated inside-out membrane patches. Changes in pH had little effect on channel conductances and reversal potentials. Under control conditions (symmetrical pH 7.2) the channel had the highest probability of opening at ~-35mV (the resting, membrane potential of the cell). At positive membrane potentials the probability of opening decreased. The Boltzmann equation was used to describe the relationship between membrane potential and probability of channel opening, and to calculate the effective gating charge. Reduction of external pH produced an increase in the probability of channel opening at hyperpolarised membrane potentials. An increase in internal pH caused a voltage independent increase in the probability of channel opening and made the effective gating charge less negative. The effect of reducing internal pH was marked: the channel then opened most frequently at positive membrane potentials and the probability of opening at -35mV was greatly reduced.The decrease in internal pH changed the polarity of the effective gating charge. A simple model was constructed to describe the effects of pH on channel gating. Treatment of S. mansoni in low pH media results in the formation of vesicles from the tegument. Parasites pre-treated with 5-N-(octadecanoyl)aminofluorescein (AF18) and examined using fluorescence microscopy showed at least some of the vesicles were outer tegument in origin. Scanning electron microscopy studies show the vesicles possess a smooth surface suitable for the application of the patch-clamp technique. Transmission electron microscopy studies indicate that some vesicles posses the unique heptalaminate membranes found in the outer tegument. Patchclamp studies have shown the presence of a large-conductance, non-selective cation, channel. Other channel types with different ionic selectivities and conductances were observed.The properties of the observed ion-channel types are discussed; comment is made on these ion-channels as possible target sites

Sir Walter Scott

Medieval literary works ranging from Beowulf to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight highlight various ideologies and themes—such as courtly love, chivalry, and heroism. Famous British authors such as Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Wordsworth constructed valuable literary pieces to further cement the foundation of British Literature. These authors are monumentally presented in the classrooms; however, there is one author who is monumentally unrepresented in the classroom: Sir Walter Scott. Sir Walter Scott managed to highlight the prevalent themes from the aforementioned works and authors in just a few decades. After analyzing Scott’s works, I touched every literary theme that I discovered throughout my collegiate experience. I highlighted parallels in Scott’s works to find comparisons with works taught in my previous classes, finding that I could have studied these literary themes under a unique, Scottish lens. Furthermore, I discovered that I—along with my peers—was denied the study of these themes from a fresh perspective. The overall goal of my thesis is to provide: a comparison of Scott’s works to works studied in the common English curriculum, an assessment on the rational possibility of fitting his literature into literature classes, and a view of where his work stands in the eyes of the current-day academic world

The Mythmaking Self (or the Myth Making Self): Fiction and Experience in Galway Kinnell\u27s \u3ci\u3eThe Book of Nightmares\u3c/i\u3e

The Book of Nightmares is a myth of questioning and renewal, with the self as its subject and the world as its text. The problem, however, is that these two are fundamentally at odds. Kinnell\u27s ideals are fixed on the assertion of the self, as artistic authority and mythic wholeness, but the reality of the present produces a range of conflicts and ambiguities which problematize this striving. The poet fixes himself at the center of a process of mythopoesis, using the notion of myth to give form and meaning to experience. Thus it becomes a demiurgic endeavor -- he is a creator, a myth maker who seeks to reconcile the ambiguities of contemporary experience with a restorative mythic consciousness. It is grounded in a movement toward eventual wholeness, though the strategies the poet employs engage the destructive as well. One of his tasks involves the balancing of equally vital urges, the mythification and demythification of his selfhood; he works to engender a kind of holistic consciousness by exploring the potential universality of the self, but this also involves stripping away layers of identity, egoic veils which render the self incapable of apprehending experience coherently. The poem itself embodies a site where myth and experience, self and world commingle and depend on each other for persuasiveness. The interaction of these crucial dynamics -- the construction of the poet\u27s selfhood and his development of the mythic consciousness which informs this construct -- constitutes the focus of my analysis. And the mediation of a transformed self and world, in whatever problematized form it finally assumes, represents the central project of The Book of Nightmares

Analysis of Doppler spread perturbations in OFDM(A) systems

We analyze the e�ects of Doppler spread in mobile channels on Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex �OFDM� systems� This is important� since channel variations during one OFDM symbol cause Inter Sub� Carrier Interference �ICI� in OFDM systems� which degrades the performance� since ICI can be seen as additional near�Gaussian noise� The analysis is presented and closed�form results are given for numerous important practical Doppler spread encountered in mobile channels and applications such as mobile reception of DVB�T� We also show that for the case of asymmetrical Doppler spreads� the frequency correction of the receiver can be adjusted so as to minimize the ICI� To extend our work to OFDM�A� mobile radio systems where many users� contributions to the ICI overlap� we have introduced the concept of an equivalent single� user which causes the total ICI� in order to use the same analytical framework� and compared the uplink and downlink cases� Simulation results con�rm our analysis and show the importance of the analytical tool to perform realistic system analysis without having to resort to time consuming time�domain simulations

Data Preprocessing for Advanced Analytics

The goal of this project is to improve attribute selection in data preprocessing. This is done using two techniques, attribute combination and clustering. Combination generates new attributes by combining pairs of numeric attributes with arithmetic operations. Attribute clustering discovers groups of categorical attributes based on similarity via Minimum Description Length. The combinations generated frequently have increased correlation to the target attribute compared to those of the original attributes. The clusters let analysts select a subset of the attributes in the original dataset producing about the same classification accuracy as the full set of attributes while reducing the size of the dataset. Both techniques provide data analysts additional insight into a dataset

Precision Robot Calibration Using Kinematically Placed Inclinometers

In the field of industrial robotics, many different calibration methods exist to reduce error in the robot system. Locating the manipulator home position is a common calibration technique, which can be divided into three main categories relative, optimal and leveling based methods. The home position of an industrial manipulator is a position where all joint angles have a pre-defined value (e.g. zero or 90 degrees), which can be transformed into Cartesian space via the robot kinematics. Large industrial manipulators, with a working range in the order of several meters, require an accurately defined home position that can be restored with repeatability in the order of 0.2mm in Cartesian space or 0.01 degrees in Joint space