A novel indoor localization scheme based on fingerprinting technique And CDMA signals

International audience—In this paper, we propose a novel acoustic local-ization system based on fingerprinting technique. It deploys the Time Of Arrival of CDMA signals emitted by speakers to locate a microphone. The system is inspired from our earlier proposed scheme [1] which deploys the lateration method. Here, we adopt the fingerprinting technique since it is more applicable to indoor environments. The position estimation is accomplished through nonparametric kernel regression. Performance are evaluated by experiments, performed in a hall of interns in National School of Engineers of Le Mans. Results have shown that our proposed scheme provides an accuracy of 8.5 cm within 80% precision

Smart power management of a hybrid photovoltaic/wind stand-alone system coupling battery storage and hydraulic network

An off-grid energy system based on renewable photovoltaics (PV) and wind turbines (WT) generators is coupled via converters to electric and hydraulic networks. The electric network is composed of consumers and of a battery bank for electrical storage,while the hydraulic part is made of motor-pumps and hydraulic tanks for water production and desalination. Both battery and water tanks are used to optimize the power management of both electric and hydraulic subsystems by ensuring electric load demand and by reducing at the same time water deficit following the operation of the renewable intermittent source. Thus, both electric and hydraulic subsystems are strongly coupled in terms of energy making necessary to manage the power flows provided by renewable sources to optimize the overall system performance. In this paper, two kinds of management strategies are then compared in the way they share the hybrid power sources between the storage devices (battery and tanks) and the electrical/hydraulic loads. The first approach deals with an “uncoupled power management” in which the operation of electrical and hydraulic loads does not depend on the state of the intermittent renewable sources: in particular, hydraulic pumps are operated only taking account of water demand and tank filling but without considering power sources. On the contrary, given the available power produced by the sources, the second class of strategy (i.e. the “coupled management strategy”) consists of a “smart” power sharing between the electrical and hydraulic networks with regard to the battery SOC and the tank L1 and L2. A dynamic simulator of the hybrid energy system has been developed and tested using a MATLAB environment. The system performance is shown under the two investigated approaches (uncoupled vs coupled). Several tests are carried out using real meteorological data of a remote area and a practical load demand profile. The simulation results show that the “coupled strategy” clearly outperforms the classical “uncoupled” management strategies

Home-based risk of falling assessment test using a closed-loop balance model

The aim of this study is to improve and facilitate the methods used to assess risk of falling at home among older people through the computation of a risk of falling in real time in daily activities. In order to increase a real time computation of the risk of falling, a closed-loop balance model is proposed and compared with One-Leg Standing Test (OLST). This balance model allows studying the postural response of a person having an unpredictable perturbation. Twenty-nine volunteers participated in this study for evaluating the effectiveness of the proposed system which includes seventeen elder participants: ten healthy elderly (68.4 ± 5.5 years), seven Parkinson’s disease (PD) subjects (66.28 ± 8.9 years), and twelve healthy young adults (28.27 ± 3.74 years). Our work suggests that there is a relationship between OLST score and the risk of falling based on center of pressure (COP) measurement with four low cost force sensors located inside an instrumented insole, which could be predicted using our suggested closed-loop balance model. For long term monitoring at home, this system could be included in a medical electronic record and could be useful as a diagnostic aid tool

Integrated optimal design of a photovoltaic/wind system for electricity and water production

This paper investigates the integrated optimal design of a hybrid PV/wind generator coupled with two kinds of storage i.e. electric (battery) and hydraulic (tanks) devices for the production of electricity and drinking water in remote areas. Taking account wind and PV potentials in such system for assessing its performance implies its simulation over long periods of time. This can drastically increase the CPU time cost related to the design step, especially if the system energy management and sizing are sequentially integrated into a two level optimization process. In order to solve this problem and accelerate the system simulation, two complementary approaches are suggested. On one hand, metamodels are used for representing the system constraints and objectives. On the other hand, PV and wind cycles are compacted with a synthesis procedure which preserves their influence on the system performance with regard to the reference data. Those approaches are applied to the grey energy optimization of the studied hybrid system

IL-33 stimulates expression of the GPR84 (EX33) fatty acid receptor gene and of cytokine and chemokine genes in human adipocytes

Expression of GPCR fatty acid sensor/receptor genes in adipocytes is modulated by inflammatory mediators, particularly IL-1β. In this study we examined whether the IL-1 gene superfamily member, IL-33, also regulates expression of the fatty acid receptor genes in adipocytes. Human fat cells, differentiated from preadipocytes, were incubated with IL-33 at three different dose levels for 3 or 24 h and mRNA measured by qPCR. Treatment with IL-33 induced a dose-dependent increase in GPR84 mRNA at 3 h, the level with the highest dose being 13.7-fold greater than in controls. Stimulation of GPR84 expression was transitory; the mRNA level was not elevated at 24 h. In contrast to GPR84, IL-33 had no effect on GPR120 expression. IL-33 markedly stimulated expression of the IL1B, CCL2, IL6, CXCL2 and CSF3 genes, but there was no effect on ADIPOQ expression. The largest effect was on CSF3, the mRNA level of which increased 183-fold over controls at 3 h with the highest dose of IL-33; there was a parallel increase in the secretion of G-CSF protein into the medium. It is concluded that in human adipocytes IL-33, which is synthesised in adipose tissue, has a strong stimulatory effect on the expression of cytokine and chemokine genes, particularly CSF3, and on the expression of GPR84, a pro-inflammatory fatty acid receptor

A Hybrid Spline Metamodel for Photovoltaic/Wind/Battery Energy Systems

This paper proposes a metamodel design for a Photovoltaic/Wind/Battery Energy System. The modeling of a hybrid PV/wind generator coupled with two kinds of storage i.e. electric (battery) and hydraulic (tanks) devices is investigated. A metamodel is carried out by hybrid spline interpolation to solve the relationships between several design variables i.e. the design parameters of different subsystems and their associate response variables i.e. system indicators performance. The developed model has been successfully validated under real test condition

Pocomania Rituals and Identity in Andrew Salkeyas a Quality of Violence (1959)

The quest for identity construction knew its apogee in the burgeoning Caribbean literature of the 1950 s a period marked by a great tide of immigration to London and the exile of a significant number of West Indian writers This exile generation of West Indian writers including leading figures such as George Lamming Samuel Selvon Andrew Salkey Edward Kamau Brathwaite V S Naipaul was concerned with depicting their West Indian experience and dealing with issues revolving around liberty and identit

PCR array and protein array studies demonstrate that IL-1β (interleukin-1β) stimulates the expression and secretion of multiple cytokines and chemokines in human adipocytes

The role of IL-1β in regulating the expression and secretion of cytokines and chemokines by human adipocytes was examined. Adipocytes were incubated with human IL-1β for 4 or 24 h. The expression of a panel of 84 cytokine/chemokine genes was probed using PCR arrays. IL-1β stimulated the expression of >30 cytokine/chemokine genes on the arrays; 15 showed >100-fold increases in mRNA at 4 or 24 h including CSF3, CXCL1, CXCL2, CXCL12 and IL8. CSF3 exhibited a 10,000-fold increase in mRNA at 4 h. ADIPOQ was among the genes whose expression was inhibited. Protein arrays were used to examine the secretion of cytokines/chemokines from adipocytes. IL-1β stimulated the secretion of multiple cytokines/chemokines including MCP-1, IL-8, IP-10, MIP-1α and MCP-4. The most responsive was IP-10, which exhibited a 5,000-fold increase in secretion with IL-1β. IL-1β is likely to play a substantial role in stimulating the inflammatory response in human adipocytes in obesity

Ambrosia’s business approach

Mestrado IPB-ESTGThe following study showcases the process of creating a new skin care company named AMBROSIA whose main product is prickly pear seed oil. The paper represents the marketing and financial planning that will be implemented. When creating a new business it is essential to do a business analysis and plan of the company. The document starts with a theoretical framework in order to understand the main vocabulary and the content of the document. Then a research methodology was done to do quantitative research of the market and the needs of consumers in terms of skin care products. For this purpose a survey was created and showcased online with 104 respondents that answered to 25 questions related to skin care products and prickly pear seed oil. A Marketing plan was displayed, with an internal and external diagnosis including several practices such as a Five forces of porter, a PESTEL analyse, a SWOT analyse, a marketing strategy, a marketing mix and an Operational plan. Finally, a financial plan that covers the costs and benefits expected for the next 5 years of the company was done. This financial plan evidence the financial viability of this project. Therefore, Net Present Value, Internal Rate of Return and Payback allow to evidence the profit and cash flows estimated for the period. The results and analyses reinforced the project ideology and the feasibility, with a result of 22 341 euros of benefits starting from the third year of activity.O presente estudo assenta na demostração do processo de criação de uma nova empresa de cuidados da pele chamada AMBROSIA, cujo principal produto é óleo de semente de figo da Índia. O documento representa o planeamento de marketing e financeiro que será implementado. O documento começa com um quadro teórico a fim de compreender os principais conceitos teóricos estruturantes do estudo. Posteriormente refere a metodologia de investigação assente numa abordagem quantitativa que visou auscultar o mercado, aferindo as necessidades dos consumidores, em termos de produtos de cuidado da pele. Para esse efeito, foi criado e um inquérito por questionário e administrado a uma amostra não probabilística de 104 indivíduos. O inquérito foi estruturado com base em 25 perguntas relacionadas com produtos de cuidado da pele e sua relação com as sementes de figo da Índia. Seguidamente foi elaborado um plano de Marketing, com um diagnóstico interno e externo, incluindo várias ferramentas, tais como a análise PESTEL, a análise SWOT, definição do modelo STP e de objetivos e planeada toda a vertente de marketing operacional. Finalmente foi levado a cabo um plano financeiro para um período de cinco anos. Este plano financeiro comprova a viabilidade financeira deste projeto. Ou seja, o Valor Presente Líquido, a Taxa Interna de Retorno e o Payback permitem comprovar os lucros e fluxos de caixa estimados para o período. Os resultados e análises reforçaram a pertinência da ideia de negócio e a viabilidade do projeto, com um resultado de 22 341 euros de benefícios a partir do terceiro ano deatividade

The effects of species ortholog and SNP variation on receptors for free fatty acids

Although it is widely assumed that species orthologs of hormone responsive G protein-coupled receptors will be activated by the same endogenously produced ligand(s), variation in potency, particularly in cases where more than one receptor responds to the same hormone, can result in challenges in defining the contribution of individual receptors in different species. This can create considerably greater issues when using synthetic chemical ligands and, in some cases, may result in a complete lack of efficacy of such a ligand when used in animal models of pathophysiology. In man, the concept that distinct responses of individuals to medicines may reflect differences in the ability of such drugs to bind to or activate single nucleotide polymorphism variants of receptors is more established as a concept but, in many cases, clear links between such variants that are associated with disease phenotypes and substantial differences in receptor ligand pharmacology have been more difficult to obtain. Herein, we consider each of these issues for the group of receptors, FFA1-FFA4, defined to be activated by free fatty acids of varying chain length which, based on their production by one tissue or location and action in distinct locations, have been suggested to possess characteristics of ‘hormones’