LocaRDS: A Localization Reference Data Set

The use of wireless signals for the purposes of localization enables a host of applications relating to the determination and verification of the positions of network participants ranging from radar to satellite navigation. Consequently, this has been a longstanding interest of theoretical and practical research in mobile networks and many solutions have been proposed in the scientific literature. However, it is hard to assess the performance of these in the real world and, more importantly, to compare their advantages and disadvantages in a controlled scientific manner. With this work, we attempt to improve the current state of art methodology in localization research and to place it on a solid scientific grounding for future investigations. Concretely, we developed LocaRDS, an open reference data set of real-world crowdsourced flight data featuring more than 222 million measurements from over 50 million transmissions recorded by 323 sensors. We demonstrate how we can verify the quality of LocaRDS measurements so that it can be used to test, analyze and directly compare different localization methods. Finally, we provide an example implementation for the aircraft localization problem and a discussion of possible metrics for use with LocaRDS

Assessing outcomes after adrenalectomy for unilateral primary aldosteronism

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Subtyping of Patients with Primary Aldosteronism: An Update

Primary aldosteronism (PA) comprises two main subtypes: unilateral aldosteronism, mainly caused by aldosterone-producing adenoma;and bilateral adrenal hyperplasia. Establishing the correct subtype in patients with PA is indispensible for choice of treatment. In addition to established methods, alternative tests are evolving for subtyping. Computed tomography (CT) and adrenal venous sampling (AVS) are currently recommended in the guidelines for the diagnostic work-up of patients with PA. CT cannot be used as a stand-alone test for subtyping because of its limited accuracy but may be used in combination with other tests such as AVS or functional imaging. Nevertheless CT remains mandatory to exclude adrenocortical carcinoma. AVS provides the most accurate test to detect excessive secretion of aldosterone from an adrenal mass but has several practical limitations and disadvantages. Therefore, alternative non-invasive and patient-friendly methods are required to determine the need for adrenalectomy. Functional imaging with specific molecular positron emission tomographic ligands is a potential alternative method that may replace AVS for subclassifying patients with PA. The results of preliminary studies of C-11-metomidate are promising but ligands incorporating radionuclides with longer half-lives that selectively bind to CYP11B2 are needed. Steroid profiling provides another method for subtyping and selecting patients for adrenalectomy, but this technology is in its infancy and prospective outcome-based studies are required to determine if this technique may provide an alternative to AVS

Landscape change and biodiversity values of floodplains along the River Vistula, Poland.

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NMR as a new tool for cultural heritage application: The provenance of ancient white marbles

Identifying the origin of marble used in antiquity brings back to light details of the economic, social and political organization of classical societies, and characterizing in depth the chemistry of marble is key to discovering its provenance. Beyond X-ray diffraction, which could reveal the presence of discriminant secondary crystalline phases and the quantification of accessory minerals combined with a multivariate analysis approach, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) enables one to recognize the local structure arrangement of both crystalline and amorphous materials by looking at one or more selected atoms. In present paper targets the 13C nuclide, and thus the major component of marble, calcium carbonate. Whatever their geological origin, marbles 13C-NMR spectra present only one resonance corresponding to the carboxyl function whose intensity and line width vary from one marble to another. If the variation of the NMR signal intensity observed is the result of great T1 variations (from 220 to 5300 s) and is linked to iron content, the line width reflects defects in the calcite crystal in which calcium has been replaced by another element such as magnesium, aluminium or strontium. The specific profile of the NMR signal has been used successfully to help determine the origin of some archaeological items

The social value of housing in straitened times: The view from England

This paper provides a commentary on the contemporary housing crisis in England and links it to broader questions of role of housing in capitalist economies and societies. It starts with the assumptions that housing and community development issues are linked to the wider housing market and that the housing crisis is not new but has long-run antecedents. The paper begins by reviewing the contemporary terrain of housing markets and policies in the UK. It then discusses several aspects of ‘crisis’: market volatility, rates of new supply, affordability, state welfare subsidies and socio-spatial inequalities. Policy responses to these are examined through a discussion of efforts to expand the role of the private rented sector, sell-off ‘expensive’ public housing and curtail market renewal investments. The paper concludes that current conceptualisations of the value of housing are often partial and insufficiently integrative and that policies must explicitly recognise housing as a social and economic asset

Biochemical Diagnosis and Localization of Pheochromocytoma

Pheochromocytomas can have a highly variable presentation, making diagnosis challenging. To think of the tumor represents the crucial initial step, but establishing the diagnosis requires biochemical evidence of excessive catecholamine production and imaging studies to localize the source. Currently, however, there exist no generally agreed upon guidelines based on which tests and testing algorithms should be used to confirm and locate or exclude a suspected pheochromocytoma. Choice of biochemical tests and imaging studies instead usually depends on institutional experience. At the First International Symposium on Pheochromocytoma (ISP2005), held in Bethesda in October 2005, a panel of experts and patient representatives discussed current problems and available options for tumor diagnosis and localization and formulated recommendations, which were subsequently agreed upon by those in attendance at the meeting. This article summarizes the discussion and recommendations derived from that session.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/72111/1/annals.1353.038.pd